School's Out for Summer

Suprises JUST BECAUSE are the best! Recapping on some of my favorite childhood moments, which Christmas and Easter morning are pretty high on the list, which of course resulted in new toys, games etc. As a Mom, I feel that those days still rank high up there, but not for the gifts for myself but to watch the faces of my kids.

Well, I decided to do something a little different than in the past which I had a color coded planned out calendar for all my summer help (sitter, grandparents, etc). Guess maybe Im the only one who LIVES off calendars and gets excited about them. This year my plan of involvement even way far away while sitting at my desk.... I kicked off the summer with a surprise for the boys. I created a "School's Out for Summer" themed basket. It included sunny and rainy day activies.

Included in this basket are the following:

* Squirt Guns

* Water Balloons

* Kool Aid Packets

* Books for quiet/reading time

* Brownie and Cake Mix

* Scoop Ball

* Popcorn (good snack for picnics or rainy movie day)

The ideas and options to fill this basket are endless and could also add up quickly, but I didn't want to overload them where they don't appreciate or use the items if they have too many choices. My plan is to make another basket in the middle of summer with completely different items.

If you have any suggestions let me hear it so I can start to research for sales now.

Over the Rainbow

Working full time I defintely get in a rut sometimes when I miss these simple but fun special days such as Valentines Day, Groundhog's Day... I am so excited when they fall on a weekend day. So funny that years ago I would have a countdown to this day because it's a big drinking day. Me now... I had a countdown because I was so excited to try out these cute pancakes and this visual picture of "pots of gold" scrambled egss I had in my mind. #IlovebeingaMumma!

 

Happy Saint Patricks Day 2013!!! 

 

My colorful pancake batter

 

The boys eating up their pots of gold and rainbows.

 

Well the thought was there but it didn't turn out exactly how I hoped. Better luck next year.

 

Hubbys breakfast hash with 2 over medium eggs in clovers (green bell pepper). With a side of coffee and irsh cream of course! 

Ethnic Night 4 - Czesc' Poland

Thats right! The Reseigh's hoped in our car and traveled ALL the way to Poland today. And I mean all the way as in less than 5minutes from my house to my parents house (Nonna and Papa).

Yet again, allowing time to slip by us we haven't had an ethnic night is so long I felt it was time. With Lent season just starting it was perfect timing to "travel" to Poland and make some pirogis to have on hand for the Lent season. Nonna and I are allergic to fish so it makes meatless Friday meals tricky. This should help out a bunch!

We began the day bright and early preparing the pirorgi filling (Potato and cheese) at about 10:30AM.

Nonna began to cook up the Kapusta (sauerkraut) which is best brewing all day anyways. Set it and forget it is the best way! We took this time to discuss with Sport the different kinds of Kapusta (sweet vs sour) it really does depend on your preference. It was so much fun to reminance with my Mom the battle of Kapusta that her parents (my Nanny and Papa) would put all of us family through. Nanny would make her version and Papa would make his. We know they are both watching over us today still arguing over whose was the best and NO I am not going to ever admit the winner in my book.

Once the filling was completed the dough was made. We ended up going through 4 double batches of dough which made a total of 165 pierogis!!! We ended up running out of filling and played "hide" the filling in our last dozen. We ended up with some Kapusta filled with Swiss cheese and salami and American cheese, cheese only.... believe it or not they were all GREAT!!!!

Close to 8lbs of potatoes peeled, cut, and washed. Sport did so well peeling it took a while but great to learn. We also have the little potato washer in the background. He took that job VERY serious.  

Everyone hard at work.

Dish washing time.... his favorite!!!

First attempt at rolling the dough and YES my little stinker had to be the first to crank the wheel. Once he learned it wasn't as easy as it looked he stopped. 





Assembly line. It was fantastic to all work together.
 

Thumbs up from the little tasters.

 

Mark it up as another very successful trip around the world. This was our most tiring of them all which totaled over 7straight hours of standing and cooking. Great job team!!! Best part is passing on the family recipes and traditions. I love "traveling" with my family! Pack your bags I think the next trip is Bulgaria!

Groundhogs Day 2013

"What if there is no tomorrow? There wasn't one today." - Quote from the Groundhog;s Day Movie.

If you haven't learned by now, I am a big advocate of food fun and art. You will notice from working a Monday-Friday job, I tend to leave my food fun for the weekends. How perfect Groundhogs Day is on a Saturday! Check out the meals I made and their reactions. It was good fun and even better it tasted good!


Snack:
Groundhog Pudding

Dinner:
Groundhog meatloaves with the cave of mashed potatoes. Made with Pennsylvania Baked Beans

Look at that face. It looks like alot of work but he insisted on even stirring up the meat.



These beans were VERY sweet but tasty. Pennsylvania Baked Beans have meat in them which caught us off guard but all thumbs up and I would make again for sure.

Cooking up the meat for the beans (hmmm never had meat in my beans before) but remember we are doing this Pennsylvania style.

Finished product! I used a water chestnut for the back of the face, capers for the eyes, croutons for the ears, ketchup for the nose and two small dabs of sour cream for the teeth.  

Look he even does dishes (kinda) he adds more dishes than what were actually dirty and if you notice we stick to plastic when he helps. *** Caution Flor May Be Slippery if JJ is helping! *** 

.

Snowman Day Without Going Outside!

So the past 2 months I have continued my Dads tradition of Soup Sunday (I will get into more details with that later this Fall/early Winter). I love the concept of on Sundays in the Winter cold months you have something nice and hot brewing all day. Soups are good for left overs too (total plus when you are working and tired during the week)! Well, this Sunday I did something I have wanted to do since October (yes I plan that far out sometimes). Snowman Day!!!!!!!! Perfect timing we had a light dusting of snow on the ground when I began to make dinner.  See the menu and pics below.




Time to stay warm while dinner is cooking. This is homemade Hot Cocoa.
Just recently I started making my cocoa from scratch
with cocoa powder, sugar, milk, a little vanilla and cinanmon.
We all LOVE it!!!!

My assistant....



This adorable snowman has 3 completely different tastes.
The head is a baslamic oil drizzle and oregano and shredded parm.
The body is a homemade garlic butter and mozzerela cheese.
The bottom portion is a shredded chicken alfredo pizza.
 

Proud little Stinker cannot wait to share his Pizza Snowman with the family!

                                     And for dessert......... simple and quick thats what I like!


 I was determined to make each face different colors. I got the sprinkles to stay on with corn syrup, the eyes are chocolate chips, the nose is a peanut and of course the body is a mini powdered donut.


BEST part of snowman day was my secret recipes worked. ALL schools in the area the next morning got a snowday! Hooray!!!! No eating the leftovers the next day did not get a second snow day. :-)

Merry Christmas 2012

Simple and quick Christmas Eve breakfast we brought to the In-Laws. Heads up grapes in the Winter are not cheap but it was so worth it and turned out really cute.

 

Me and Sport trying to make a frame to freeze time.

I wanted to wish you all a VERY Merry Christmas! Cherish every second of the holiday chaos hustle and bustle. I'll be signing off and cherishing my family time. See you in 2013 for lot's of new and fun family adventures. 

We Give Thanks 2012

Although Spooky Week is one of my most favorite times of the year. I must say that the Thanksgiving Season and Day is pretty high on my list too. There is no better day to make everyone really stop and appreciate exactly how blessed we are. Well at least that is how my family uses this season and day.

 

 Starting 7 years ago Hubby and I laid out a schedule (I know this is no surprise me and a plan). I'm sure many of you have the challenges of "picking" a family or side for each Holiday. WELL after many many many days of discussing him and I created what we think is the best of all (at least for us). Christmas Eve is always with his family (I will share more of the Christmas layout in a different blog), Easter we rotate years his side of the family and then mine. Yes, it is possible to do breakfast with one and dinner with another but with the 1 1/2hr drive each way that's 3 hrs in the car to see his family alone its really alot of added stress and normally turns out to just be tired and upset all around. We try to see the family who has the "off year" either Good Friday or Holy Saturday. Thanksgiving.... well as ALL know we LOVE the kitchen. Hubby was a chef back in the day about 15 years ago and cooking and making a mess is a hobby to him. I locked it in as Thanksgiving will always be at our house!

 

Yes, this was a HUGE fight and unfortunately sometimes it still stirs up trouble, but sometimes as a parent you stand your ground this is the one holiday I can lock in traditions how we want. The rule for Thanksgiving is our door is always open! We don't mind if ALL sides of the family from both sides come or if it is just us. We are so grateful to God for having the roof over our heads, the food we eat each day, that all the extra visitors throughout the years are considered even extra blessings when we get them. 

 

 

 

We were blessed with Jasons parents and sisters family coming over for Thanksgiving this year. First Thanksgiving at our house with them and it was our FIRST holiday hosting at the new house.

 

So I mentioned Thanksgiving traditions let's dig in....

 

* We have been so lucky enough to be chosen by an Elf on the Shelf each Thanksgiving morning our family member Elbie the Elf makes his annual appearance to stay for the next month and he does something different EVERYDAY from this day until Christmas Eve.

* As a couponer you could only expect I am a shop til you drop Black Friday Shopper. Although you can start to find out sales and deals ahead of time and I am highly disappointed lately that stores open soooooo early it is really starting to take away from it BUT you really do get some great deals. Plus this is a tradition in itself that I go just us girls with my Mom and Sister, coffees in hand and our Plan of Actions (POAs).

* Hubby makes the dinner and I do the appetizers (crafty and cute of course)

* We always watch the movie Willow.... I know this movie has NOTHING to do with Thanksgiving but I'm laying out the traditions and this is on the things to do list we started years ago.

* Chef Dadda makes most of the desserts ahead of time which helps with the day of (yet again another tradition to always assist in baking the few days ahead of time).

* My favorite of all... we ALWAYS do a "Give Thanks" activity and craft. Each year I make the craft a little different but the main focus is for everyone to reflect what they are thankful that year and in life. I have saved all submissions from everyone and plan (one day) to make a memory book of all of the answers.

This year we were blessed with the first time Thanksgiving Day visit from Grandma and Grandpa Reseigh and the Neeb Family (Chef Dadda's sister). It was a wonderful and rather relaxing day and evening! 

I love moments that are captured like this!

 

I have the kids working on a Thanksgiving madlib (lame me I know having them work and learn but it was actually silly and fun).

So cute! I made Pilgrim Hat (hot dog bites), pumpkin shaped deviled eggs, a Turkey Shaped cheese Ball (crackers and pretzels as the feathers) and a "garden" of pumpkins (little carrots in hummus spread in far back behind cheeseball).

Fantastic job Chef Dadda!!! (May I add yes I have all dishes caught up and cleaned slight OCD that I follow him with a sponge).

 

 Great and breaking news.... we have discovered and will start a new tradition on Black Friday nights we will now attend the Holiday Lights Parade festival. This was our first visit with this and although it was VERY cold but it was beautiful and worth it.

Super excited to add it to the perfect family day traditions!!!