mortgage: the gift that keeps on giving...for 30 years.

i just wrote the first check for our mortgage.
and
it
was
worth
EVERY
penny.
(and yes, despite popular opinion, i'm still smiling like i was the day we signed the deed. it's that great of a house. glory be.)

reposting their glory.

i made these awhile ago.
see here.
grandma joi always says there should be color on your plate.

and they are gracing my table tonight.
there's nothing i love more about this season than how it pulls me into my kitchen.

i dream of their beautiful color.
and marvel at how easy they are to make.
mashed potatoes.
asparagas.
spinach salad on the side.
with a few adjustments,
i repost them in their glory.
...
now for my pretty pork chops.
please go pick some pork chops up from the store,
along with spinach, and feta cheese.
you will need the following:
1 pkg. of feta cheese crumbled (like 8oz or so)
4 pork chops (double recipe if you need more for your family)
3 cups spinach
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
salt, pepper
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
accent salt
balsamic vinegar (pour over the chops the last 5 min. of baking)
step 1:
put the feta, spinach, and oil in your food processor, pulse/blend until it's chopped up (see pic above)
step 2:
sprinkle accent salt on both sides of all chops
step 3:
cut chops on one side so there's an opening in the middle
step 4:
stuff chops with spinach, feta, and oil mixture
step 5:
put the rest of the spices together in a bowl and rub both sides of chops with it
step 6:
put in baking dish, bake 375* 35-40 min. and WOW.
prepare to be amazed!!!!
here it is folks.

it's creamy, it's juicy, it's stuffed pork chops, and you can make 'em!
so pretty.

SUN.

sunday nights.

we got home from church at 5:18pm.
i made moldy ravioli.
with marinara sauce.
i boiled them for 10 min.
that had to have cleaned all of the mold off?
i hope.
they tasted great.
garlic bread caught fire.
gas oven=flame inside the oven.
top and bottom.
i'm still learning.
the centers were saved.
which is really the only part i like anyway.
learned the fire alarms work in the house.
really well.
max gnawed on asparagus.
brennan called the ravioli hot dogs.
we went with it.
...
sean quoted this morning the best,
"someone forgot to tell brennan about daylight savings."
...
the real snow is coming.
i bought a shovel.
the brownies and pumpkin ice cream are ready.
wish you were here.

pinocchio

me: brennan, good job! you ate a ton of peas!
b: yeeeeeeeeep!
then i go to take off his bib.
me: is that a fact?
b: uh oh.

cure for the grumpies.

i like a big breakfast.
it always cures the grumpies.

anything.

she wants to crawl.
she wants to feed herself.
miss independent.
she'll talk you into ANYTHING!!!

irrationally directed.

yesterday, brennan slammed me in the face with his chocolate milk sippy cup.
after blinking several times to make sure i didn't blackout,
i did what any calm mother would do.
irrationally directed him to time out.
fought back tears that i wanted to cry.
and then took away every treat, movie, soda, game, and privilege i could think of.
i spent the rest of night realizing that by taking away all of his treats i was punished too!
dang it.
my lip is still sore today.
ouch.

i voted with my huge lip that swelled up after this picture.
the one person i really wanted to win,
lost.
kind of like last year.
this morning,
i mowed my lawn.
for the first time.
it was fun,
then exhausting,
then annoying.
and brennan scraped my monitor on the metal table.
it is ugly now.
but i did get 34 shade shirts/pants/swim suit items this morning.
for $1 a piece.
so sad to see shade go:-(
i am now going to collapse for the rest of the day.

batter up.

we are about to enter a whole new ball game with little miss max.
and i'm not talking about baseball.
but i did watch a game last night.
you may have heard about it?
go giants!!!
love,
your #1 fair weathered fan.
(who only gets REALLY excited about watching you when you're in the world series.)
mobility my friends.
we're almost mobile.
like i said,
whole new ball game.
batter up.

next year, i'll consider it.

at 3am yesterday morning i was laying on my bathroom floor.
wishing i would have gotten the flu shot.
everyone else had one in my family.
not me.
my stubborn self thought my immune system could handle it.
no sir.
it could not.
so i spent the day feeling like death.
i let the pork loin run around in his diaper until noon.
it was 46 outside.
it felt warm.
that's when you know you've lived in the cold weather a long time.
46 feels warm.
really, it was warm.
no one called the authorities.
brennan played in his water table.
and i didn't have to take off his wet clothes b/c he wasn't wearing any.
it was brilliant.
i gave him a hot bath,
which he said hurt b/c he was cold.
max was dressed and fed.
everyone took a nap.
me included.
my mother in law came for the 7th inning stretch until sean got home.
she played with my kids.
i took a hot shower.
she mowed my front lawn.
took out my trash.
broke down the boxes that have been sitting on the side of my house for a month.
and threw out the rose bushes i trimmed for the winter.
bless her.
we survived.
i feel great today.
is it too late for the flu shot?
or am i already covered b/c i got the flu itself?
next year.
i promise.
i'll CONSIDER.
getting.
the.
flu shot.

being an adult is tough.

being responsible is so tough.
i guess i will have to really bite the bullet,
do the adult thing,
and make sure to eat his candy myself.
you know, so HE can be healthy.
i'm so adult.
halloween pancakes.
i love being responsible.