Mackworth Island, Maine

This is a beautiful island with a walking path open to the public. The path encircles the perimeter of the island and is 1.5 miles. Brady, my mom and I went the other day for a nice walk in the afternoon and then Brady and I went back again yesterday (April 17,2008). Brady and I walked the whole island, found some pretty shells and had a picnic on the beach! It was a beautiful day and so much fun!!!

As you can see- Brady loves his little binoculars, and since I have such a hard time getting him to smile AND look at the camera, the binoculars served as a good prop for a lot of the pictures...too bad I didn't get more smiles without them though!!!

7 MONTHS!!!! (27 Weeks)

OKay, so for anyone that's been asking: here's some proof that I'm actually pregnant! I'm 7 months (27 weeks) today and both of these pics were taken today (just goes to show that the shirt makes a huge difference! The second shirt is really clingy, so of coarse it shows off the basketball belly really well!) Plus, in the first picture I wasn't standing sideways...

Olivia is healthy and growing strong. She's quite the kicker and "swimmer" and tends to think that play-time is from 9pm-1am!!! We'll have to work on her schedule once she makes the grand appearance! So...three months and counting!!!

Two GREAT recipes!

I made these for dinner last night and they were a hit! A definate new family recipe that we'll use for years to come!!!

Shredded Beef Red Enchiladas

Serves 4-6

Shredded Beef:
1 1/2 lbs beef roast
1 (4 oz) can of green chiles with the juice
1 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 garlic clove minced ( I used refrigerated minced garlic- 1 spoonfull)
2 C. beef broth (or use beef bouillon to make it equivalent)

Other ingredients to fill enchilada:
1 (28 oz.) can red (or green) enchilada sauce
shredded cheese (I used a mexican cheddar and mozzarella cheese)
pinto or black beans, rinsed
rice (any kind), about 1-2 C. cooked

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add olive oil to a heated pan and cook onions until soft.
2. Wet a dishcloth or several paper towels and ring out. Place the tortillas inside and cook them in the microwave for 30-60 seconds until soft and pliable.
3. Pour some enchilada sauce over the bottom of a large baking dish. Take a tortilla and spoon shredded beef along the center, next onions then beans and rice. Roll and place in pan. Repeat until finished. Add the rest of the enchilada sauce. Top with cheese. Bake until cheese melts


I made this soup a couple of nights ago and Chris and I could not get enough! It tasted EVEN BETTER than the real thing (with LESS FAT!!!!) We made up for it though by dipping bread into it! I'm going to make this A LOT next winter!!!!

Zuppa Toscana - Olive Garden Copycat

4-6 servings

1 lb Italian sausage patty

2 large russet baking potatoes, diced
1 large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1-2 spoonfulls refrigerated, minced garlic)

1/2 pkg frozen chopped spinach
3 cups chicken stock

1 cup water

1 cup light cream
Any leftover mashed potatoes!

1. COOK sausage in a skillet. Drain sausage on paper towels and crumble .

2. PLACE onions, potatoes, chicken broth, water, and garlic in pot, and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done. Add sausage. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 10 minutes. When potatoes are tender, mash some of the slices with a fork to thicken soup slightly( or just add some leftover masjed potatoes!).

3. TURN to low heat. Add spinach and cream. Heat through.

Serve with crusty warm garlic french bread or baguette (I just spread on some butter, sprinkle with garlic powder and italian seasoning and put under the broiler for about 4 mins.)

"Feed the Birds!"

Again, all props go to my friend Jan for getting me out of the house today and motivating me to do SOMETHING with my child! After gymnastics (and a much-needed nap in the car) we went to the city park in Portland called Deerinf Oaks and fed the seagulls (thos rascally scavengers!) and the ducks who were braving the winter there! We fed them homemade popcorn (from chef Jan) and the boys ahd a GREAT time!

These pictures just don't do justice because it was like standing in a seagull frenzy the way that they were flying all around us! We had to put our hoods on as "protective gear!"

Getting our Wiggles out at Gymnastics!

My friend, Jan has been trying to get me and Brady to come with her and her son to an hour long gymnastics open session. Finally the other day Brady and I went and I'm glad we did (except for the major meltdown that he had when we had to leave!) It was great for him to explore this new realm of being "allowed" to jump of things and run around and I know it was great for his cabin fever. He has NOT done well this winter with being cooped up inside so much since he's such an active outdoors boy! Now we just need to continue to reinforce the rules of no jumping off the couch (and other things) and no climbing in the house!

Brady's first experience on a trampoline (that he can remember!)

Getting ready for the "big jump" off of a 3 foot block into the foam pit! (I tried to get an action shot of him jumping but wasn't seccessful and he finally said, "Mommy! No more pictures!")

I was truly envious of all of the soft foam- wishing that I could take a dive into it as well!

Climbing through the tunnel of the "elephant trunk" in the jungle room!

I also wasn't able to get a picture of this but in the jungle room there was also a "hippo slide" where you enter the "mouth" from the second floor and then you slide down the tunnel to the first floor and land in a pool of foam blocks! When we were upstairs brady said he wanted to go down it so I said okay, thinking that as soon as he actually did it an experienced te 4 foot drop into the foam that he's be upset, but I figured "Why not?" So I ran downstairs so I could be there when he came out and my friend stayed up there with him. I yelled the okay and down came Brady! He LOVED it! WOW! I really never knew he was so adventurous! He did it several more times and actually that was the source of the meltdown because he wanted to do it again but we didn't have time because our "hour" was up!

Anyhow, I now know that I need to get this boy involved in some active things! I'm thinking gymnastics class, clogging or some other kind of "toddler" activity program. Any suggestions!?

Easter Story

This is the little program that I found and revised to use for our Easter FHE with Brady. I love the simplicity of the message and the songs that I put with it to help bring in the spirit and tell the story of Christ to our children. The following pictures are ones that I free-handed to go along with the program and play a short matching game when talking about the Savior's Resurrection and how all new life is a symbol of his great sacrifice and triumph over death!

Children’s Easter Program:

Song: “He Sent His Son” Children’s Songbook, 34-35

Narrator #1 (I chose to include my parents in this so we had 4 narrators)

The Easter story is a story of love. Heavenly Father loves us so much that He sent His Son to earth to atone for our sins. Jesus loves Heavenly Father; He was willing to obey Him. And Jesus loves each one of us. He gave His life so that we may be forgiven when we do something wrong and repent.

Narrator #2

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).

Song: “Did Jesus Really Live Again?” Children’s Songbook, 64

Narrator #3

Jesus died and then was resurrected, which means that He lived—and lives—again. We do not fully understand how Jesus can live again, so we think of it as a miracle. There are many miracles all around us that help us understand the resurrection of Jesus.

Wintertime is long and dark;The flowers and seeds are sleeping.They wait for the light of the sun to awaken them.The warmth of spring brings them to life again,Like a testimony of the Easter story.A wonderful thing happens in spring—The birds sing, the grass becomes green,The world is awake with the promise of life,Restoring the earth in its fullness.


Song: “On A Golden Springtime” Children’s Songbook, 88

The Miracles of Springtime:

From a cocoon comes forth a beautiful butterfly!

Dry bulbs (and seeds) pressed deep into the earth come forth a bloom again!

A little egg inside a nest becomes a bird!

Tiny brown buds become blossoms on a tree!

These tiny miracles help us to understand the greatest miracle of all, the Resurrection. When the stone was rolled away that Easter day, Jesus had risen from His tomb.

“He is not here: for he is risen” (Matt. 28:6).

Narrator #4

Many people saw Jesus after He was resurrected. However, we do not need to see Him to know that He lives. As we keep the commandments and remember Jesus, we feel good. And that good feeling is the beginning of a testimony.

Narrator #1

“A testimony of Jesus means that you accept the divine mission of Jesus Christ, embrace His gospel, and do His works” (Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, May 1982, page 62).

That means that you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that you will try to be like Him by making good choices!

Narrator #2

For a long time the world was in darkness; The hearts of men were sleeping. There was no spiritual light upon the earth. Then at last the heavens were opened, and the light of the gospel awakened the world. This was a glorious testimony of the Resurrection. A wonderful thing happened one spring when Joseph saw the Father and the Son. The world was awakened, and the priesthood was returned to earth-restoring the gospel in its fullness.

Narrator #3

Joseph Smith tells us about the vision he received: “I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!“ (JS—H 1:17.)

Song: “This is My Beloved Son” Children’s Songbook, 76, verses 3 and 4

Narrator #4

We are blessed to have the gospel restored in our day. As we learn more about the teachings of Jesus, our testimonies will grow.

Narrator #1

I know that Jesus lives and that He loves me. Do you know that Jesus lives and loves you?

How do you feel His love?

Narrator #2

Who was the first prophet?

I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that through him the gospel was restored.

Narrator #3

How do we feel when we make good choices and keep God’s commandments?

Song: “Choose the Right Way” Children’s Songbook, 160

Cabin Fever!

This winter in Maine we have broken snowfall records, recieving over 16 feet of snowfall!! We've had at least 1-2 major snowstorms a week for most of the winter which has left us with an accumulation of several feet of snow which has FINALLY started to let until today...when we recieved another couple of inches! AAAHHHHH! These pictures were taken about a month ago at the peak of our snowpack here where we live!


This is my parent's Dodge Ram inbetween two snow bankings- as you can see the snow is taller than the truck!

The walkway from the driveway to the front door!

The back door of the house- we don't use it right now obviously!

HAPPY EASTER!!!

This Easter I really thought a lot about what traditions we wanted to establish and how we wanted to teach our children about Easter. How much commercialism to take part in and how best to explain about the scarifice and miraculous resurrection of Our Savior.

After much contemplation we decided that we'd enjoy our baskets and candy and a special Easter breakfast on Saturday and then spend Sunday focusing on the Savior. In introducing our Easter festivities at breakfast we also explained to Brady what we would do on both days and that even though it's fun to get candy and have egg hunts that those things aren't the real meaning of Easter. Those things can help remind us of Springtime and how the whole earth is reborn with new grass, flowers and baby animals- but it's really a reminder of how Christ died and was reunited with his body again, and still lives today!

This Easter has meant more to me than any other because I've spent a lot of time learning more about Christ's life during the last weeks before his crucifixion and resurrection and finding ways to teach a child so that they might start to understand Jesus' love and sacrifice for us!

This is the beautiful "egg" basket that Brady made with his Grammie Morgan! It has brought "sunshine to our souls!" If you look carefully you'll see a nest and a feather that Brady found and some eggs in it in the middle of the basket!

Our Easter breakfast:

Scrambled eggs: a symbol of new life

Fresh fruit: fruits from the earth

"Resurrection rolls" symbolizing the empty tomb after the third day (we made these with crescent rolls, butter, cinnamon and sugar and a marshmallow in the middle. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes and when they're done the marshmallow will have melted and left the inside of the roll empty!)

Hot cocoa with a bunny marshmallow!

Then we had our "eggcellent" scavenger hunt! This year was a little different; usually we just do some eggs with candy and an easter basket filled with a few toys and inexpensive games. A few days ago I happened to be trying to return a toy at a store when I noticed an awesome train table on sale for half off! There were only a few left so I decided to jump on the deal and get an early start on Christmas shopping! Well, it's been a LONG winter (check my next post!) and Brady has gotten very bored with all of his toys and is driving me CRAZY with his selective hearing, inability to stay entertained and whining! It's very hard to find things that will keep him busy and we haven't been able to go outside very much at all...so after discussing it with Chris and "stewing" over it for a few days we decided that our (MY) sanity was well worth it and we'd give Brady the train table early and give him something that will entertain him until the snow melts and the grass dries (hopefully!!!!!)

So, needless to say, we had a great scavenger hunt with Brady with fun "clues" for him to follow with each egg that he found! It was great (and we got it on video too!)

Clue #1: You like to help mommy cook- go get your whisk!

Clue #2: Follow your nose to where we keep the cheese cold!

Clue #3: Mommy and Daddy tell you to close your eyes when we are in this place getting "squeaky clean!"

(This led him to the shower in the bathroom where he found his Easter basket that had some candies, some "Croc" clogs, and a game! We didn't get a good picture!)

Clue #4: This is the cozy place where Baby Olivia will snuggle in a few months!

Clue #5: "Buzz" and "Zerg" (his goldfish) think that your cool! Bring them their food!

Clue #6: Ready, set, find your favorite hiding place! (an empty cupboard in the kitchen)

Inside the cupboard he found a "Marble Run" which we really think he'll enjoy!

Clue #7: Show us how and where you wash your hands!!!!

Clue #8: Sometimes you drive us BANANAS!

(Like today!)

Clue #9: We like to visit Grammie and Grandpa and sometimes we open this bog door to find a snack! (Their pantry)

He was so cute! he knew right where to go and led us all downstairs to my parent's house and when he opened the pantry door he had the hugest smile! He was like, "Ah! Wow! A Train!"

So, hopefully all of my hard work and preparation was worthwhile and that he'll love this and play with it ALL THE TIME!!! HAPPY EASTER! (we'll do our "spiritual Sunday post tomorrow on Easter!)

Putting together all of the pieces!!!!!!!!! (no small task when your 3 year old is trying to "help" and won't stay out of anything! Poor Chris, he exhibited "much patience!")

And the finished product! WHOA!!!! This thing is double the size that I thought it was....goodbye livingroom! Hello "fashionable" train coffee table!

Goodbye "Recipe Blog!"

Okay, I have to say I was super excited to start my recipe blog and was whipping up "culinary masterpieces" (yeah right!) and taking foodie pics for a week or so....what I actually discovered through this endevour was that I LOVE to find new recipes and try them NOT to take the time to take pictures, post them etc! So, if I do ever come upon a truly FANTASTIC recipe that I'd want to share with ALL them I'll surely post it HERE!!!

Yes, less complication in my life! Why do I always complicate things more than they need to be?! So, bye-bye food blog, you won't be missed! =)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

It was fun to celebrate St. Patty's Day this year because Brady is old enough that I could explain to him why we have this day (and learn some new things myself) and make some fun treats with him. Brady's name is actually Irish, meaning "spirited" (quite fitting I think!) and I do have some "Irish blood" somewhere in me so I always think this is a fun holiday to celebrate!

I tried a new recipe for pistachio pudding sugar cookies. They were okay but I won't be making them again! I'll have to learn how to make my mother-in-laws fabulous sugar cookies!


Brady and I also made a rainbow cake so the leprechauns could hide their gold at the end of the rainbow! It cam eout really cute and was a big hit with the whole family! It was fun coloring shamrocks and pots of gold and having traditional Irish food! I was going to post a picture of Brady but he's been sick...so it will have to wait for another time!
I'll leave you all with an Irish Blessing I found:

"May your blessings outnumber

the shamrocks that grow!!!"

OKAY- I just spent the last HOUR working on the TAG POST that my sister-in-law Nickie has posted and "tagged" me with (3 in all) and when I went to upload it it was all CRAZY! I'm sorry Nickie, but I'm NOT taking the time to re-do all of that! I had good intentions!!