Botanical Gardens

Rainy day with high winds + An on-the-go toddler = A much needed trip to the botanical gardens

My in-laws gave us a great gift at Christmas this year, a family membership to our local botanical gardens. We gave it a try last month and had a blast! Mr. D enjoyed running around the paths, smelling the flowers, pointing out fish, and listening for birds.

I would recommend checking out your local gardens too. They are so toddler friendly and provide a much needed warm-up on chilly and rainy days.

We're looking forward to butterflies the next time we visit!

Old School

 One of the many great parts of being a parent is experiencing the new. . .or in this case, the old, with your child. A couple of weeks ago, my husband crawled into the attic of my parent's garage and pulled down some of the Little Tikes toys my brother and I played with when we were kids. It was so much fun seeing Mr. D and my brother with his son play with these toys.

Life is good!

Rate the Park App

I figured out how I can make my millions. . .create an App that rates parks.  

Parks would be rated on the following criteria:

1. Playground Equipment. The park we visited was for older kids.  It is a great park, but not suitable for youngsters. We did find a wonderful turtle that D could climb on and investigate!

 

 2. Canteen. Our local park has the perfect canteen filled with ice cream treats and snacks.  

3. Safety: We want to have fun--but we don't want any scary injuries either! This park had that soft, fake grass that is perfect for running (and falling).  Since the playground was right on the river, they also had safety fences in place to make it hard for little ones to escape! One big concern I noticed, though, was that there was a hill for little ones to climb up but there was a pretty big drop-off on the other side. I was a bit surprised by this, to be honest.

 4. Overall beauty: This park was right on a river.  It is the perfect place to relax, play tag, and eat a picnic lunch. They also host free concerts throughout the summer!

I'd also want to factor in the following:

5. Appropriate ages for use of the park

6. Ease of parking

7. Extra features (pool, splash pad, hiking/biking trails, etc.)

Isn't this a great idea? Here is the problem. . .I have no clue how one would go about doing this! 

Happy Summer!

Ambassador Drew

Most of us have heard of the March of Dimes.  I know that I knew of this organization for years but I never understood how vital a role they play in the lives of all babies.

The March of Dimes was created decades ago, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, with the original purpose of fighting polio.  When polio was eradicated from the US, the mission changed to support babies born prematurely and/or with birth defects.

Because of individual and corporate sponsors, the March of Dimes has raised millions of dollars to support research to help ALL babies have a successful start at life--moms know more about healthy lifestyles that can help them during pregnancy, NICU doctors have more resources on their hands, and all babies have a better chance of not only surviving, but thriving.

We were honored to serve as the March of Dimes ambassador family this year in our community!  

Saturday was the big day where we were able to meet with other individuals who share our common goal.  It could not have been a more perfect day for the event!  Our family was overwhelmed with the love and generosity of complete strangers.  

The event was so family friendly.  When we first arrived, there was a continental breakfast available for all participants.  Everybody was encouraged to get a lei which represented why you were walking (purple = prematurity, green = healthy birth, white = loss of an infant, yellow = birth defect). As a group, we then participated in a 2.5 mile walk through a gorgeous section of town.  We arrived back just in time to try out the swings at the park and say goodbye to our new friends.

Every one of us has a cause that is near and dear to us.  I would encourage you to look into the March of Dimes to see if this organization might be one that you would consider supporting now or in the future.  If you have any questions, feel free to check out their site at www.marchfordimes.org or let me know and I can try to help too.

Happy Walking!

Book Review: Touch and Feel Farm

 This is little man's favorite book of the moment.  It's the first book that he's actually interacted with time and again!  Touch and Feel Farm is the perfect book for sensory, repetition, and early vocabulary development.  I just read that it is important for young ones to associate animals with the sounds they make.  This helps them learn different sounds and the animals associated with those sounds.  This book is fun. . .and extremely appropriate for infants. 

 Happy Reading!

Perfect Day

This was the longest winter. . .EVER!  Not only was there so much ice and snow and below zero temps, but it never seemed to stop.  Here we are, May 20 and I am in shorts (or short pants, as JD calls them) for the very first time!  

When I saw that the temperature was to reach 80 today, I knew I had to make use of the beautiful weather.

Today's agenda included:

1. Hang laundry on the clothes line

2. Make (and enjoy) sun tea (with lemon, of course)

3. Read the newspaper while the Young Mr. slept

4. Be happy

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! 

Little Free Library

I'm getting my own library!  And I am so excited!

Little Free Libraries is a not-for-profit that tries to put books into as many hands as possible.  I love reading and I love discussing books, so, these little libraries are PERFECT for me!

A good friend of mine is building me my very own library that we're going to stock with books.  We've already created a budget for books--$50 a year.  I'm also hoping to have books donated to the library.  Since I'm a teacher, I really want to have a wide mix of children's, young adult, and adult books. 

My little library has walls now!

My biggest "issue" with Little Free Libraries is that a lot of times the books seem to be outdated.  I am going to work very hard to make sure that the books are readable and that people in the neighborhood make my Little Free Library a regular destination.

If you are interested in learning more about Little Free Libraries, their site www.littlefreelibrary.org has great information (please you can see where Little Free Libraries are located in your area).  Of, if you want to help me stock the shelves of my Little Free Library, please let me know.

Happy Reading!

Happy Graduation Day, Class of 2013!

Today is graduation day at the school where I teach.  I've always had such an issue on graduation day because I get so darn sentimental.  This year, especially, I'm really going to miss the students.  I have a lot of seniors in the activities that I advise and I had a senior homeroom this year.

So, to get my mind thinking positive, instead of being gloomy, I decided to make a little care package for my students.  I was able to get all of the supplies for around $20 at the local dollar store, and it only took me about 30 minutes to put it all together.

The students really seemed to like the care package and the little words of wisdom.  I think I'll make this a tradition and do it every time I have a senior homeroom.

Happy Memorial Day!

Memorial Day Weekend has got to be one of my favorite weekends of the year.

I love the start to summer, the extra time at home, the visit from one of my best friends, and the parades!  Mostly, I love the time spent paying tribute to all of our veterans.  Can you think of a better country to live in then the USA?  It is an honor to spend time showing my gratitude to the sacrifices so many individuals made on my behalf. 

On Memorial Day growing up, we'd always wake up in the morning to this Rhubarb Coffee Cake.  It always seemed to be the kickoff to summer.  Now, I make this coffee cake for my family every year.  Oh, how I love it!  Plus, it's a nice festive red color to kick off the patriotic holiday.

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Ingredients (part one)
1 c flour
1/4 t salt
1/2 c sugar
1 t baking powder
1/4 c oleo
1 egg plus milk to make 1/2 c
2 1/2 c rhubarb
Small package strawberry jello

Directions (part one)
1. Mix together dry ingredients, cut in oleo.
2. Stir in the egg/milk mixture
3. Spread into a greased 9 x 13 pan
4. Sprinkle rhubarb over crust
5. Sprinkle dry jello over rhubarb

Ingredients (part two)
1/2 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1/4 c oleo

Directions (part two)
1. Mix together dry ingredients, cut in oleo
2. Sprinkle on top of crust and rhubarb/jello
3. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees



This is the recipe card--I LOVE recipe cards.  I love the handwriting on them from the person whose recipe I "stole" (in this case, it's my mom's) and I love the little smudges of sugar and flour and vanilla.  I'll have this recipe card forever and will always think of my mom when I use it.

Asian Style Brussels Sprouts

I love Brussels sprouts! They are a new "thing" for me.  It wasn't until last year when we were at a local supper club and I had these as a side that I fell in love with them.  And now, I'm finally feeling comfortable enough to make them at home.  If you haven't tried Brussels Sprouts before, give these a whirl, I promise that you'll be coming back for more!

 

 

Asian Style Brussels Sprouts
2T Safflower Oil
1t Ginger spice
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
2T Soy Sauce
1lb Brussels Sprouts
Pinch of Sesame Seeds
Dash of wine (I used red)
1/4 c Honey

1. Heat the oil, spice, ginger, and red pepper flakes on a medium setting for a couple of minutes
2. Add the Brussels Sprouts and allow to cook over medium heat for at least 10 minutes (I threw a lid over it at about the 8 minute mark to speed up the cooking). 
3. Toss the sesame seeds and wine and allow to cook for about two minutes, pour on the honey and heat a minute before serving.

**You don't need a lot of the red pepper flakes--a little goes a very long way
**Just poke a fork through the Brussels Sprouts to see if they're done

Please try these out and let me know what you think.

Date Day!

A good friend of mine was telling me that she and her husband go on date days once a month.  They flip back-and-forth in the planning of the days and it is always a surprise to the other person.

 

So, like any good friend, I decided to copy her.

 

And I'm happy to report, our first date day was a success! 

 

JD trying a Five Guys burger.  He's been trying to get me to go hear for years and we finally  made it!

Here are the rules:

1. It must be a surprise

2. You need to tell the other person what time to be ready to go and what to wear (i.e. we'll be walking a lot, so wear good shoes -or- we'll be inside in air condition, bring along a sweater)

3. Pick a yummy place for lunch/dinner

4. Do something fun and out of the ordinary!

My first hole in one EVER!

Date Day: Mini golfing and go-karts!

 Over the course of our date day, we started talking about kite flying (random. . .).  This led JD to buy a kite for us the next day and our date day/weekend continued!

You can tell the dude picked out this kite.  Had I been along, we would have bought a Barbie kite.

One Word Wednesday: Pink

It's spring!  This means more time to:
1. be outside
2. read books
3. grill
4. ride bikes
5. eat smores
6. BLOG!

I love my job as a teacher but it means that September through April is kinda crazy.  But with May comes the light at the end of the tunnel and more light in the day :)  I feel as though I have so much more energy to do a lot of the "things" I enjoy.

So, I'm jumping onto the One Word Wednesday band wagon.  This challenge allows individuals to think of one word throughout the week and try to photograph it.  Today's word is PINK!

My pink is just a little flowering bush in my backyard.  This past week when we were eating dinner outside, I noticed that it is finally in bloom!  After a looonngg winter, this beautiful bud is just screaming "SPRING IS HERE!"

Next week's word: project.

Happy One Word Wednesday to you!

A Thought Provoking YA Read

Wow. . .I just finished reading "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys.  What an incredible book.

As a high school teacher, I like to read some young adult fiction to stay up-to-date on what my students are reading and to have another conversation tool.  I saw a couple of students reading this book last month and decided I should try it out.  I am so glad I did!  Not only was this book a great piece of fiction, it also taught me a lot about what happened in Lithuania during World War II.  The Soviet Union rounded up millions of people and either murdered them, sold them as slaves, or sent them to work camps.  This happened for over 15 years!  Once the Lithuanians were released (in the mid-1950s), they were not allowed to speak of what happened to them for fear that the KGB would imprison them.  It was not until 1991 that Lithuanian was once again their own country and out of the control of the Soviet Union.

I would highly recommend this novel for both teenage readers and adults.  It was very well written and brought to light an issue that many are not aware of.

Christmas Memories 2012

Christmas is over?  What!

Today I actually took down our Christmas tree (it's a live one and was getting pretty dry) and put away all the gifts we were given.  So, as I'm sitting here on the coach, our living room looks a bit bare.

But as I reflect back upon the past few days, I'm filled with great memories of time spent with my family.  I hope that this Christmas season was joyous for you and yours too.

My first time making an advent wreath--so fun and will now become a Christmas tradition

Christmas Morning Tradition: Porridge with craisins, grapefruit, scones (yum!)

This was our evening spread--after a day filled with games and laughter, I knew the family would need a snack.  We asked each guest to bring either a favorite cheese or a mustard to share.  We ended up having a HUGE platter of goodies!

Thankfulness Project Finale

This weekend ends my Thankfulness Challenge 2012.  I sure do have a ton in which to be grateful for on a daily basis but this weekend really made me think about how fortunate I am.  JD and I started the long weekend by heading down to Chicago to go to their Thanksgiving Day Parade.  We also were able to eat our Thanksgiving meal at Wave, JD's favorite restaurant (beside Steak n' Shake). 

JD and I started the tradition of going down to Chicago for Turkey Day a couple of years ago and I so love it.  We spend Wednesday evening window shopping and drinking Argo tea and Thursday we go to the parade, brose the stands at the Christkindlmarket, and eat yummy food.  Plus, we get to spend some quality time together--which rarely  happens.

At the Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade.  It was the PERFECT day to be outside in Chicago--highs were in the 50s!

My boot (at the Christkindlmarket)!

On the wagon ride out to get our tree.  Note our horses, "Jack" and "Frost" behind me. 

On Friday we cut down our Christmas tree and decorated the house.  It was sooooo cold on Friday that we ended up cutting down the first tree we saw!  Luckily the tree is PERFECT and I am loving it!

On Saturday we spent the day with my family.  We cut down a tree for my parents and helped them decorate it.  We were also able to celebrate a very special 21st birthday with my favorite 21 year-old "almost" sister.  

Later we met up with my aunts, uncle, and counsin for dinner at a local pizza place.  It's been a long time since we've all been together.  I think that's the toughest part about getting older--the people you spent so much time with growing up all move on and it gets more and more challenging to find time to be together. 





My sil is an AMAZING pianist.  We always beg her to play Christmas tunes for us. . . and luckily she always humors us!



My family at the Mannheim Steamroller Concert!  Aren't they adorable?

 And, the weekend ended with a Mannheim Steamroller concert.  Is there any other way to kick off the Christmas season than with one of their concerts?  It was so good and definitely got us in the Christmas spirit!

Can you see why I say I am so blessed?  I love you all!  Happy Christmas Time!

A Weekend of Thanks

My weekend was spent with my best friend, AJ.  We dedicate the weekend before Thanksgiving as "girl time" and meet in our college town.  I must say, that it happens to be my favorite weekend of the whole year.  I cherish the time I get to spend with this wonderful person who happens to live six hours away from me.  So, I dedicate these thankful points to my dearie, AJ.

16. Thankful for the delicious food I can count on in my college town.  This town has a population of about 8,000 but has a ton of great restaurant options.  We had bar food, pizza, Japanese cuisine, and ate at a local bistro renown for their varied menu.  Yum!

17. Thankful for the fun I had this weekend.  Each of us is required to bring a bag-o-fun which we fill with:

1. a craft
2. a beverage
3. an (unhealthy) snack
4. a game
5. a Christmas movie

AJ's craft: this cute dish cloth with pretty fabric hand stitched on it 

18. Thankful for the relaxing time I had over the weekend where I was able to finish a great book and stitch the binding onto this quilt.  I love this quilt!  And am so excited to show it off this Christmas season.

19. Thankful for the yummy home-cooked meal I came home to after work today.  We celebrated Thanksgiving early with JD's family and they sent us home with leftovers.  JD made one of my favorites--turkey ala king.  AH-MAZE-ING!  Such a comforting meal to start the week!

Catching-up on My Thanks

12. Thankful for my church family.  They are a great group of people who minister to others in so many different ways.

13. Thankful for my quilting teacher.  Hopefully by the end of the weekend, I'll have a new quilting picture to share with my blog friends.

14. Thankful for this dude who spent numerous hours remodeling our bathroom.  It looks great!  Thank you, JD!

JD at his thank you dinner :)

15. Thankful for my choir buddies.  I love being a part of this group.  The people in choir are so friendly and accepting.  And the choir director is AMAZING.  Beside singing, my favorite part of choir is just sitting there and having the director tell me what to do.  Since I teach others, I'm always the one being the boss--it's a nice change to just sit and listen.

A Special 11

JD and me boarding the USS Constitution this past summer (the oldest serving military ship in the US)

Thank you to all the veterans and their families for the service and sacrifice given to this country.  You are appreciated and loved more than you'll ever know.

A special thanks to my family, coworkers, and students who have served.  Thank you.

Quiche for Breakfast (or dinner. . .or whenever. . .)!

Please excuse the blurry/terrible photo but I wanted to share a quick snapshot of what I had for breakfast this morning.  I am in love with this quiche recipe.  It is so easy and so delicious!  I got the recipe from a teacher I work with last year and we have used it quite often since.

This time we substituted the bacon for ham and it was amazing.  I hope you enjoy this simple and tasty quiche too!

Days 9 and 10

9-So thankful for the talents of others.  As a teacher, I am witness to the amazing abilities of my students all the time.  So many kids are gifted athletes (I work out for about 30 minutes and then feel like I'm dying. . .), one kid yesterday came into class whistling a Christmas tune in perfect pitch (I can barely breathe out one little squeak), and last night we went to the high school musical where the actors blew me away with their gorgeous voices, witty personalities, and amazing skills (I had a hard time remembering my two lines in Footloose when I was in high school).  So today, I am completely grateful for being able to enjoy the talents of others.

10-Grateful for time to get caught up on "stuff".  It's been a busy week but I'm thankful for time this weekend to reconnect with family and friends, finish a book that is due back at the library on Monday, and get some laundry and cleaning done.