Happy Birthday Bill!

This has been a crazy week so far with no school and work closing early on Monday, School off for Teacher something-or-other on Tuesday and now Wednesday is swim lessons and Bill's birthday … whew … it's already been a week.

So tonight we celebrated with pasta and shrimp for dinner and a red velvet/cream cheese frosting birthday cake for Bill's 47th!  complete with presents of course!  Ellie always has the most fun -

The happy birthday celebration!

Ellie singing Happy Birthday!

Seriously, more snow ...

Today is President's Day.  No school, no mail, no banks and no Bright Horizons.  For us this means that Ellie is home for the day…. Bill and I agreed to split the day, each of us working from home part of the day and the other part going into the office.

Bill had the morning in the office, and I took the afternoon.  And somehow both of us missed that we had 4-7 inches of snow on the way .. with a wonderful wintery mix of sleet thrown in for good measure.  So now we're both working from home in the afternoon.  And that leaves Ellie to entertain herself for a bit while we both jump onto conference calls at the same time… Hello Rainbow Loom!

Here's a shot of her dressed and ready to help clear!

Bundled up to face the winter cold and snow!

USA Hockey

Ellie joined me for our 6:30am puck drop for the USA v Russia Olympic Hockey game this morning.  She honestly seemed as happy to be watching I was.  She asked terrific questions like, "Is the goalie always your favorite player?" and "Why is that guy missing so many teeth?"

She cheered loudly every time the US scored a goal.  And was extremely excited for the OT and then Shootout part.  And we were jumping up and down when our new favorite player, TJ Oshie scored yet another goal in the six round of shootout to claim the WIN for Team USA!

Pancakes with USA spelled out in chocolate chips!

Saturday .. celebration continues!

Valentine's Day is a celebration, and in our house those usually last for several days.  Take this year.  Valentine's Day was on a Friday .. which turns into the weekend.  So we made the best of Friday with Ellie's party, presents and dinner on Friday night .. and partied into the night.  Yea, right!

Here's a few shows from the weekend so far….

Here's the candy take-away from Ellie's and Bill's presents!

And the tribute to Pitchers and Catchers reporting yesterday!  My kind of bouquet ...

2nd Grade Valentine Party

Ellie asked if I would be a parent helper at her class' Valentine Party today.  When I agreed, they assigned me ice cream for 30 students and sprinkles!  Who would have known that we would get four inches of snow and make the travel to and from school quite a challenge, but in the end it worked out wonderfully!

She was thrilled to have her mom there as I was the parent in charge of the Valentine card opening station and filling in the Mad Libs.  It sure did make those kids laugh when reading back their crazy combination of words!

Then there was the additional treat of being parent pickup at the end of the day too.  Why should she ride the Bright Horizons bus into town when I was already working from home in the afternoon.  So we trekked through the snow together!

Here's a few great shots from the party today:

Ellie and Mommy at Valentine's Party

Ellie, Reese and Owan at the snack making station

Eating her snack

Game table - stacking conversation hearts!

Throwback Thursday

Here's another throwback Thursday picture.  Seemed appropriate with my recent trip home, and reconnecting with so many that are important to me to find a throwback picture that captures some of that fun!

This one was a great trip with the girls to NYC.  It was one of the first ones I took with my friends at Rosenbluth Travel.  We took the train into the city, stayed at the Marriott Marquis and laughed more than I could ever remember laughing back then.  It was awesome!

And based on my memory its from just about 20 years ago - January 1994!

South Street Seaport with the girls from Rosenbluth Travel - 1994-ish
Marianne, Jenni, Maggie, me and Patty!
Those were the days!!

Whirlwind trip

What an amazing few days I had traveling to New York on a 'girl time' adventure.  I decided several weeks ago to make a trip to back to Saratoga to catch up with old friends.  When Bill said, "you should take the camera," I envisioned returning with a load of The Hangover-worthy pictures.  Which is exactly why I don't have any pictures of people to share.

This trip was about catching up and making time, much overdue time with old friends.  It was an amazing trip.  I loved seeing so many people I don't always see on trips back home.  And as this trip was solo, I also renewed faith in myself that I can still do this … master the flights, connections, car rental, directions, etc.  It was a great trip.

And here's some photos to prove it!

Coffee Planet is the go-to place when meeting Alicia for coffee!  What a wonderful morning we had catching up!

The Whistling Kettle's selection of loose tea is unrivaled!  I brought lots of sample bags home to share before we decide upon our favorite!

Northshire BookStore!  My very first visit to the Saratoga store.  It was a real treat!

Oh Delta!  Got off the flight in Albany and ran into a long-time Delta employee, Carolyn who greeted me with open arms.  We go way back to my travel agency days.  What a way to start my trip!

Dreaming

I couldn't resist snapping this irresistible shot of Ellie as I tucked her in and shut off her light.  She sure does love her dogs, and this picture says it all.

Three stuffed dogs surrounding her - Digger, Goldie and Kingston.  She's made a hobby of collecting them since she doesn't have a real one.  How many parents have explained how hard having a dog is to a child?  The daily care and maintenance of one - not to mention the fact that we every time we travel it would make things so much harder to either board or travel with … but how does a 7 year old comprehend that?

She doesn't.

But I don't blame her.  She just loves her dogs …

Sleeping angel surrounding by her posse of dogs!

Sunday should be a day of rest

In our house Sunday is another day we're able to get our weekend chores done!  And today we preparing for watching the Super Bowl … an hour earlier here in Illinois!  So Ellie will almost make it to halftime … which is good, since she wants to see Bruno Mars perform!

After clearing the snow yesterday and a big breakfast of filled pancakes we were able to enjoy a late lunch at Joe's Station House .. all three of us getting burgers!  And they were great!

This other picture is a project Ellie and I each made last Saturday night when Laura and Hannah came for dinner.  They are called Calm Down Jars … filled with warm water, glitter glue, food coloring and even more sparkles.  The glue suspends the glitter and creates a cool effect when turned upside-down.  Its mesmerizing like a snow storm .. and used to 'calm-down' kids.  Each one turned out different from the others .. and we all have our own to use!

Joe's Station House burger for lunch on Saturday

Calm Down Jar with all those cool sparkles!

Wouldn't be Saturday unless there was fresh snow!

So today is more of the same.  At least Bill made it home safely from Lincoln .. which is wonderful since we needed to be snowblowed and shoveled out this morning! The snow is turning to freezing rain so it's putting a bit of a hitch in our plans .. but we'll get things done inside today instead!

Shoveling the newly fallen snow!

Breakfast of filled pancakes!

Week in Review

This week Bill was traveling .. spent Monday through Friday in Lincoln, Nebraska.  Ellie and I were both envious because neither of us has been to Nebraska and therefore he can count a state that we can't!  Nevertheless, we had a great week of activity, adventure and of course what else? SNOW!

Here's a mix of all the fun we had while he was gone!

Monday - Bread Pudding with cinnamon and fresh berries for dessert

Tuesday - Gorgeous Sunrise

Wednesday - Boston Cream Cupcake before Swim Lessons

Throwback Thursday - Circa 1982

Friday - Imagine that, SNOW!? Again!

Our little girl is growing up!

Ellie and Father Luke as they entered the church

Today Ellie made her First Reconciliation at St. Pat's.  She was excited and scared at the same time she told me.  And that emotion is certainly familiar.  We talked about how things would go, who would say what .. and the difference between a sin and a mistake.  She said she was good to go!

Before the service at the stained glass windows 

Then came the choice of which priest to choose.  Of course my first choices were Father Jerry or Father Luke - our parish priests who Ellie sees every week - either at church or at class.  I assumed since we were closest to our pastor, Father Jerry she'd easily get in line there.  But she began to panic and said, "Mommy I can't go to Father Jerry - he's too familiar!"  So we found a different line…...

We stood with her as she waited .. with lots of other 2nd graders and parents as well.  And when it was her turn she looked back at me .. I whispered, "you are strong and brave .. you can do this!"  And she did!

When she returned from her visit with Father Doug, a visiting priest for the service, she was all smiles.  She said, "Mommy, that went great!"

She was so proud of herself for this big step.  And we were too!

Ellie's teacher, Mrs. Wallace - you can see how much they love each other!

Happy girl with her celebratory doughnut at the Parish Hall when it was all over!

Winter weather

Oh this winter has really given us a run for our money, hasn't it?  Lots of snow and cold.  Really cold.  Not just the cold that goes away.  This is the deep, dangerous cold that leaves its mark.  We're in for a few more of those days this week.  After starting the week with more snow.

But it is winter, after all!

Here's a few shots - of the front and of the back … and more to come on the deep freeze!

Martin Luther King Jr Day - school holiday

Ellie spent the day at Bright Horizons today - as her schools as closed for the holiday!  She's always very happy to be able to go and 'play' all day.  The added bonus today was her friend, Emily was also there all day!

When I arrived this evening, they were playing cards.  She was having so much fun I didn't interrupt .. and let her game continue.  She had a full day playing and was happy to join me to come home and have dinner as a family!

Meatless Monday - we had grilled vegetable lasagna - with Eggplant and Mushrooms!

Emily, Michael and Ellie playing the card game Spoons!

She can move quickly!

Happily got a card she needed!

Not going to the Super Bowl

Ellie didn't wear her Payton Manning jersey today .. not because it's a Colts jersey, but because she decided she'd route with me for the Patriots.  While Bill enjoyed an afternoon away playing cards with the guys from work, she and I had back to back football games to watch. Although it may be hard to believe she was actually waiting for the Seahawks game - she's picked that team in a pool through Bright Horizons.  I know, I know .. but she didn't bet a thing, and she'll get a candy bar is her team wins the Super Bowl.

In the meantime I convinced her to wear this Patriots shirt for good luck!  And by now you all know that all our mojo-fixing didn't help - and the Patriots lost!  Oh well, off to watch the second game of the day with her!

Dutch filled pancakes

There was a great sale at Williams Sonoma last week and it featured two great breakfast gadgets.  One was an omlette pan and one was a filled pancake pan.  I couldn't resist the wonderful pan with 7 indentations to make these wonderful little filled pancakes.

So, on a Saturday morning that began with a beautiful sunrise and quickly turned to snow flurries I found the recipe, gathered the ingredients and went to work using my new pan.  As you can see they turn out these wonderful little treats.

I tried out several fillings as well.  Although no one was filling to say what their favorite was … caramelized pear and pecan, Nutella hazelnut spread, Biscoff spread, bananas and cinnamon and a combination of Nutella and bananas!  We ate them with syrup and without … and lo and behold the recipe made so many that I stashed some in the freezer to take out a few at a time for Ellie's breakfast during the week.

What a great Saturday morning treat.  Pretty sure I need to run a few extra miles before the weekend is over to compensate for that breakfast!

Batter, Filling, Batter and then flip!

Flipped over already

The finished product - Dutch Filled Pancakes!

Make new friends and keep the old

When we were in Charlottesville I was part of the leadership team in my department.  It was a group of people that had been together for some time before I arrived.  Being accepted was not something that came easily, or likely at all with several of them.

One of my former peers, Lori, is now Bill's manager - even though she still lives in Charlottesville.  She and I always related over being working moms (she has Paige age 9, and Brady age 6), Sephora make up runs and Talbot's.

She was in Bloomington this week for a meeting, and Bill invited me to meet up with them late on Thursday afternoon.  We caught up on all the comings and goings!  And Bill was kind enough to take this picture of us.

We've come a long way since those days in Charlottesville.  And I wouldn't trade a minute of it!

Lori and me - January 2014

Dinner!

Ellie was watching something on t.v. on Sunday and a commercial came on featuring some sort of pot pies.  She couldn't get over how great that would be to have a pot pie.  Bill assured her that they were good, but they weren't my favorite thing.

So to surprise them both I made two individual pot pies last night for dinner.  Surprisingly enough I had everything I needed right in the fridge - leftovers from the roaster chicken, crescent rolls and veggies.  You'd have thought I'd given Ellie a huge prize - she just loved her individual dish and the pseudo pie crust using crescent rolls were even a hit!

homemade chicken pot pies!

Rainbow Loom fun

Ellie has used several of her gift cards at different times to stock up on two different looms, and multiple packets of bands .. otherwise known in our house as debris, because they end up all over the floor …and a case for all the bands to make bracelets.

These things are apparently all the rage with 'kids' of all ages.  Both boys and girls alike are spending time making these special weaved creations.  So many colors and patterns to choose from.  And even better there are so many youtube videos out there for instruction, it makes all you need right at your fingertips!

And I'm hearing there are even playdates scheduled around the Rainbow Loom activities!  That could keep a room full of 2nd grade girls busy all afternoon!

Here are the latest from our house.  Ellie used her gift card from Uncle John to get the latest loom and more supplies.  She was thrilled to be able to fill her organizer and now make this special new hexafish pattern!  I received the first bracelet made from bands of the same colors as the Irish flag!

Supplies for all the bracelets to be made ….

My new Irish flag colored Hexafish bracelet!!

Saturday Night Out

The only photo on the camera when I got home to download with this ONE!

One of the couples from Christmas Eve, Bill & Kristin Martin - originally from NY, now living in Bloomington had a wonderful get-together last evening full of new friends and lots of kids.  Although Ellie didn't get to see Hannah due the flu going around their house, she found new friends - and even reacquainted with a former soccer teammate!

It was a great night all around.  And what a spread - beef tenderloin, peel and eat shrimp, grilled scallops, tuna tartar, salads, dips and of course, Tobin's pizza for the kids.  Which Bill Martin explained is the closest thing he's found to NY pizza since arriving in IL.

And like Laura and Chris Swan who live two streets over, the Martin's live about 1/2mile away in the neighborhood just next door!  What an awesome community this is turning into - State Farm families and even those who have lived here forever!

Here's how we spend our snowed in time

As you can imagine I made soup, roasted vegetables, made bread and had a good time in the kitchen with my extra time off as fed my housebound family.

I also read.  It was wonderful - except for the cold, of course!  One of the novels I finished was Jodi Picoult's latest, The Storyteller.  Its a story of the Holocaust, generations of bakers and of course, a story of survival.  I was surprised and thrilled to find a recipe for sweet rolls at the end of the novel.

They were absolutely delicious.  A yeast, sweet dough that is filled with a wonderful combination of bittersweet chocolate and cinnamon.  And imagine those with your second cup of coffee on a snowy, cold morning.  They were amazing!

Here's a link to the recipe in case anyone might be interested.  It's attached to the publisher's website.  I also found a link to a recipe for Challah.  That would be a really interesting change to making my traditional bread one weekend.

Enjoy!

Recipe to Minka's Rolls. 

Now, that's cold

As we awaited the snow and cold on Sunday, we hadn't really anticipated that we'd be housebound for the next couple days.  I have produced no good snow pictures - none of Ellie happily running it in, none of neighborhood kids running around or their parents taking a break from the shoveling to stand at the bottom of the driveways and talk about it.

None.

We were in the house, altogether, on Sunday and Monday.  Didn't so much as walk to the mailbox.  Bill went out once on Sunday to clear the driveway of the soon to be 9.5 inches of snow.  But ultimately it didn't matter.  The wind and cold proved a much tougher foe than the snow.

We're glad Santa brought board games this Christmas.  We've played a lot of them in the last few days.

On Monday we were under a nearly state-of-emergency as all the schools, many government offices and business, as well as the entire State Farm Corporate HQ were closed.  Closed.  Wow!  And the issue was that the roads were not passable with the drifting snow.  This was affectionately termed, Snowpocolypse by many of use posting on social media to reference the frenzy.

Here's the best shot I got over the past few days that represents what life was like here in Bloomington!

Joyful Saturday

Waiting for the food to arrive - my happy girl!

Here's lunch - steak kabobs over sticky rice

And her first taste of creme brûlée - she closed her eyes as she savored the first bite!

As we await the incoming storm we have things to do around here … yes, there's the groceries and the errands .. and then there's the normal Saturday things that have to happen in order to have the new week begin well.

So off Bill & Ellie went to get the oil changed, top off the gas and I headed to the grocery story for a few things for dinner.  And wow, was it packed.  Home to unload and regroup with the team.  We then headed to Two Blokes and Bus for an awesome lunch!

Ellie had steak kabobs with sticky rice, Bill had a shredded pork burrito with spicy, sticky rice and I had sweet potato gratin with spicy pork.  It was amazing!  And then one of the guys from the kitchen came upstairs to give us a creme brûlée to share for dessert.

I'm convinced it was the most delicious thing I've had in years.  Amazing!

So now we're ready for the storm to arrive.  Three to five inches of snow and then sub-zero weather for a few days… should be fun!!

Happy New Year!

Holidays in the middle of the week just put a different spin on things.  Having a day off is always a good thing, don't get me wrong - but a Wednesday?  Oh well, we'll take it.

Ellie returned to Bright Horizons on Monday and Tuesday for full days of fun with her friends.  They made more Rainbow Loom bracelets, played games on her Nintendo DS, read books and played outside.  And one of her good friends from school will be there on Thursday and Friday this week so she can't wait to go back tomorrow.

Oh, what a routine - or lack of one - does to our family.  Let's just say that having a Wednesday off in the middle of the week not only creates more T.V. time for Bill and Ellie, but gives me a wonderful opportunity to do another load of laundry and run the dishwasher too!

Here's a few random shots from the past few days between Christmas and New Years …

Bundled up to face the cold and wind for my daily walk with Ellie!

My favorite ornament this year.  I found I gravitated to it every time I sat down near the tree this year.

Olive Bin is Olive Oil store right here in Bloomington - VERY similar to Saratoga Olive Oil!
I received a wonderful gift bag with lots of treats from there courtesy of Bill & Ellie this Christmas!