Tuesday

For our Thanksgiving project today I wanted to do pilgrim finger puppets but I cannot find black construction paper anywhere. I dont know if they sold out for Halloween or what but Parrish,FL is without. We already had finger paint and paper plates at home so I thought we could finger paint some turkeys. Fay was kind enough to sleep during this one. Which is a good thing because there was paint everywhere!! Ross wasnt sure about it at first but once I told him that it was ok for him to put his hands in it, he was all over it. At one point he said, "this is fun mommy" The mess was so worth it just to hear that! It ended up entertaining him a lot longer than I had expected and I even had to refill the paint a couple of times (no wonder though because towards the end Ross was scooping it out of the egg carton with his hands)

So here is what it was supposed to look like:

The color to the right of the red is supposed to be yellow but Ross liked to mix the colors.

And here is Ross' fingerpainted turkey:

I think its the most beautiful finger painted turkey in the entire world!

The new me

So this is my new "do". So far I really like it. I ended up going with a mix of both hair styles. I told the girl who cut my hair that I needed something simple and then also something that when I actually have time (and a reason) to fix my hair it could be cute. So she cut it for both! The real truth will come tomorrow when I have to fix it myself.

Okay now how cute is that?????

Just me and my girl

This one or That one

I. need. a. haircut.

Last August I had a "real" haircut and since then I have had only 2 trims. My hair grows super fast when I am pregnant so I didn't bother trying to keep up with it. I learned my lesson the first time with 3 haircuts in the first trimester with Ross. So now Fay is 3 months old and I have no excuse, oh yeah except for that one about not having any time to get my hair cut. Which is true because lets face it, what salon loves a 2 year old running around spinning their chairs and playing in the sinks? No matter how cute he is??? And with Tim working so late these days and our weekends spent at Disney world...do you see where I am going with this? No time!

OK so this salon has been recommended to me, they stay open until 8 pm and on Wednesdays 10! I think I may be able to get a haircut either tomorrow night or Wednesday night. I am so excited. But here is the hard part, how do I get my hair cut? I always say that if I am going to pay fifty dollars for a hair cut then I want to leave looking like, well, fifty bucks! I always do something different and usually I am pretty drastic. I am always cutting my hair off and then letting it grow back. Well since I have had hair that is almost to the middle of my back for a while now I am ready for a shorter look. So here is where you come in, which one do you think would fit me best???? Oh yeah I guess I should mention that I always have a celebrity influence on my haircuts. My last one was Tori Spelling (don't make fun, it was a nice haircut). So its between Katie and Kristen. Please help. Although I don't know which one I will do, I am leaning towards one a little more than the other but I am not going to tell just yet.

Two turkeys

Its finally the week of Thanksgiving. And I love it. I love the whole week. I really wanted to be festive and help get Ross into it so I decided what better way is there than to do fun arts and crafts? And Thanksgiving is such a great holiday for it with Indian hats, turkey hands, and even homemade place mats!! The list is endless. So for our Monday project we decided to make turkeys using their hands and feet. Ross loved me tracing his hands and then while I cut them out he practiced tracing his own hands and cutting using his safety scissors. I think his favorite part was the gluing. We used a glue stick (less messy!). And Fay was very cooperative while I traced her hands and feet. She even held her hand open for me! It must have been tiring because she then slept through the cutting and gluing. So now we have two turkeys decorating our fridge! (I cant wait until next year to see how big the turkeys will be compared to these)

We found this project at www.kaboose.com

All it takes is paper, pencil, glue and scissors! Very simple and fun.

Delicious Chicken Burgers

Tara this is for you...

What I love about these burgers is that they are not only delicious but they are filled with 4 different veggies. So even if your child is a picky veggie eater you can easily sneak them into these burgers. And what kid doesn't love burgers?

Ingredients:
1/4 C washed and finely chopped white part of a leek
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
1 large zucchini, grated
1 1/2 tbs vegetable oil
2 uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts,chopped
1 apple, peeled, cored, and grated
1 chicken stock cube, finely crumbled
1 tbs finely chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper
1 1/2 C plain bread crumbs

Coating:
All-purpose flour
2 eggs,lightly beaten
seasoned bread crumbs

Vegetable oil for frying


Steps:
1. Saute the first 4 ingredients in the 1 1/2 tbs of oil for 3 minutes, then mix together with the remaining ingredients

2. Chop in a food processor for a few seconds. Form into 16 burgers using floured hands.

3. Coat in flour, then egg, and then seasoned bread crumbs and saute in vegetable oil until golden and cooked through (about 6 minutes on each side)

4. Dress as you would a regular beef burger

*****Also these can be frozen (they make a lot) for up to 6 weeks.*****

Recipe: SuperFoods for Babies and Children by Annabel Karmel

The rest of us

Ross is... Ross. He is still in love with his trains. December 2 will be a year since his obsession began and it is still going strong. I am debating on whether or not to decorate his new "big boy" room in trains. We have tried to prepare him for our move to Kentucky but so far its not sticking. I just think that doing his room in trains will make his transition a little more fun and a little less scary.
He loves going to Disney World to see Mickey Mouse. This is something new. We had taken him to Disney World earlier in the year. He had fun but it didn't seem like anything special. Our last trip before Fay arrived was in May and when we went back in September OMG at the difference 4 months made. He was squealing and screaming in his car seat before we ever even got to the rides. He could not wait! He was so excited to see all of the Mickey's that you see driving towards the magic kingdom. The first ride for Ross is the tram which takes you from your parking spot to the ticket/transportation center. He thinks this is a train so basically if you rode this all day long he would just as happy. And then there is the monorail, another "train" in his eyes. Right now his favorite actual rides are Goofy's Barnstormer, a roller coaster, and the teacups which he rides with Tim.
I found a list I had made of words that Ross could say at 19 months the other day. The list wasn't long but it was so special. It was only 10 months ago and now he can pretty much say anything he wants to. Tim and I love to watch him grow more and more into the little man he is becoming. I know we are pretty biased but WOW is he something special!! He makes us so proud to be his parents. We were out to eat dinner a couple of nights ago and when the waiter brought his drink and food he said "Thank You" without being prompted by us. Its so nice to see that when we are teaching him he is actually paying attention! Most days, even weeks, Ross is a great kid. But he definitely has his moments!!

Tim is busy finishing up his project for All Children's Hospital. They will move into the new hospital December 12 so right now November and December is and are going to be very busy for him. In fact, he has to work this Saturday :( When he is finished with ACH he will begin his new project in Kentucky at the Owensboro Medical Center. ACH was a 400 million dollar project and OMC will be about the same. There have only been 6 hospitals in the past 5 years that have been completed for more than 400 million and Tim has worked on 2 of them. That's pretty impressive!! We are so proud of him for how hard he works to provide for his family. I have a great husband who loves me. Ross and Fay have a wonderful father who loves them whole heartily. We are a lucky couple of girls and boy!

Me It's really hard to write about myself. My days are pretty much filled with trains, diapers, and toys. And I wouldn't have it any other way. I love being their mommy. I havent gone back to work but I am still employed at Bayfront. I am PRN, which basically means I work when they need someone or whenever I want to. I really haven't wanted to go back but I do miss it and everyone I work with. Right now I am needed at home. Maybe when we get settled in Kentucky I will go back to work....maybe;)

Baked Spaghetti...like you've never had

Everyone in my family loves spaghetti. We eat it often. So when I saw this recipe card at Publix I knew I had to try it. We had it for dinner last night and it was fantastic! It was so easy and delicious that we will definitely be having this again.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
1 cup diced onions
1/4 cup diced bell pepper
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp seasoned salt
8oz spaghetti
2 cups shredded Italian-blend cheese,divided
1 (26 oz.) jar tomato and basil pasta sauce

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Fill large saucepan 1/2 full of water. Cover and bring to a boil for pasta.

2. Meanwhile, mix beef, onions, peppers, 1 egg, garlic powder, oregano, and seasoned salt in large bowl. Mix by hand. Spread mixture evenly in 9x13 inch baking dish.

3. Add pasta to boiling water. Cook until tender.

4. Drain pasta thoroughly. Whisk remaining 2 eggs, in medium bowl, until well blended; stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese. Add pasta and toss to coat until eggs and cheese are well blended into pasta. Spread pasta evenly over meat mixture.

5. Spoon pasta sauce over top. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 30-35 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F and meat is fully cooked. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe from Publix Apron's Simple Meals