The Crazy Continues...

With deciding to do kitchen inventory and clean out my cupboards! I only got one cupboard done before deciding to finish tomorrow...but holy crap. Where did some of this stuff COME FROM? I'm sure I didn't buy all those canned tomatoes since we don't even eat them...

Yeah, yeah...I know...Kraft Dinner. *gag* Auntie Dale would be so horrified...

Okay, this one has me baffled. 10 cans of salmon?! We don't even like canned salmon so I know we didn't buy it...

And the finished product! A clean and organized cupboard!!! Job well done, I'll get at my baking cupboard tomorrow. Now THERE'S a chore and a half.

Baking Day!!!

So today was a busy day of yummies here! I don't remember if I posted that my mother's day present was a breadmaker, but it was...and today I decided to try it out!

Isn't it PRETTY?! It has all kinds of settings and stuff like that, but since it was my first time trying it out...I decided to go with the simplistic white loaf.

TA-DA! My first ever loaf of breadmaker bread!!!!!!

But I didn't stop there. Oh no! I decided that since I was on a roll, I must also make blueberry muffins!!!

Val's absolute favorite!!!

But...why stop there, right? I have this new recipe for Pineapple Squares that I have been DYING to try out and Silas was quite eager to help me!

Because Mommy cannot SURVIVE without some help from Silas! He even helped me press the base into the pan.

Don't you wish that YOU had a kitchen helper that looked this awesome?!?!? How could you RESIST?!

And the finished...Wait a minute! Weren't there a DOZEN muffins??? VAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From Me and Mine to You and Yours...

Have a wonderful Mother's Day!


I spent the day with my mother and my boys and it was a fantastic day. I'm so glad to be able to be close to my mom. I hear about friends of mine that have gone for months or years without speaking to their mother and I can't imagine it. My mom is closer to me than anyone else.



So for all of you moms and moms-to-be out there, I hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day and are waited on like a queen!

For the rest of you...

CALL YOUR MOTHER!!!!!!

The Eye of the...Listener?

I have often wondered if there are other people who see the world as I do.

The saying is "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", but I see the world in sound. Now if you're wondering, I am not blind. With the help of my glasses I see the world the same as anyone else. However, I am affected much more by sound than by sight, and the world is infinitely more beautiful to me if the sounds surrounding me are beautiful.

Take Steven Tyler for example.

Not exactly an attractive man...his eyes are a bit small when you compare them to his HUGE mouth. But when this man opens that mouth, beautiful sounds come out. Which makes him so beautiful to me that even Brad Pitt just can't compare.

Recently Andrea Bocelli has become the music of choice in our household. Silas is fascinated whenever we play his music and will just sit with his fingers in his mouth, listening in amazement to the beautiful sounds that this man can make, with seemingly little effort.

Knowing that Mr. Bocelli has been blind since a young age, it's made me wonder if perhaps he "sees" his world as I do. If he is more attracted to beautiful sounds as most people are attracted to beautiful sights. Our favorite performance of his thus far is his "Time to Say Goodbye" duet with Sarah Brightman, and as we all know this woman has a voice of such loveliness that it is not to be compared with others, as well as a beautiful face. I wonder if when he pictures her, he sees her as she is because of the sheer beauty of her voice.

Andrea Bocelli's voice wraps me up like a blanket and gives me a feeling of warmth unlike anything else I've ever heard. I think his voice sounds the way that love feels.

On that note, I'll leave you with my favorite Andrea Bocelli duet with Sarah Brightman. For today, it's "Time To Say Goodbye".

PS: And if you're wondering, Silas is the only child in my house who appreciates culture apparently. The entire time that I'm playing Italian opera...Hayden is driving me crazy to play "Inside the Fire" by Disturbed. Gonna have to work on that one...

A Good Weekend

What a beautiful weekend! The sun was shining, the temperatures were warm and inviting...time for a trip to the mall!


We walked for 45 minutes to our local mall. Hayden skipped along beside us and Silas enjoyed the jaunt from the comfort of his stroller. It was so warm that we discarded our sweaters before we even left our street.


It was an uneventful but profitable trip. Both Hayden and I scored new shoes. He got a nice pair of Dr. Scholl's and I got a pair of Sugi's. I preferred the black and pink pair, but they weren't there in my size. :(





We had dinner at McDonalds (again, not my pick!) and had ice cream for dessert. Silas ate his in the stroller on the way home. After bathtime everyone tumbled into bed, happy and tired!


Today Val was back to work so the kids and I had the day to ourselves. I baked blueberry buttermilk muffins and an Apple Pie-in-a-Hurry, cleaned the kitchen and had a visit with our kids' nurse. Silas was on par with his development, if not a little ahead, so we were pretty pleased with that.



















They have grown up so much, it's hard to believe it...Seems like just yesterday they were just babies. Now they're not even close to being babies, they're little boys.

Here's hoping tomorrow is as productive as today...and here's knowing I'll sleep well tonight!

I Can't Believe It

Okay, like most moms of small kids, I have a terrible time getting Hayden (age 4) to eat. Silas (age 2) would probably eat old socks if he could dip them in ketchup, but Hayden is a bit more finicky. So yesterday when I decided to make something new for dinner I fully expected to have to bust out a can of Spaghetti-O's in order to get Hayden to actually eat dinner.

Not so.

Chicken and Broccoli Divan is actually something that he likes that is good for him. Shocking! Now if only I can find more recipes that can take green vegetables and other healthy food and twist it in a way that he will eat it. In light of the fact that it was absolutely delicious, I will share this recipe with you. I found it on a Campbell's Soup can, but altered it slightly (as I am wont to do) with great success.

Chicken and Broccoli Divan

2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
4 cups cooked broccoli
1 can Campbells low-fat cream of broccoli soup
1/3 cup 2% milk
Shredded cheese (I used a 4 cheese blend of mozzarella, monterey jack, cheddar and colby)
3 tbsp dry bread crumbs
1 tbsp melted margarine

Put the chicken and veggies in the bottom of a casserole dish or shallow baking dish. Stir in the soup and the milk. Sprinkle with cheese, as much as your family prefers. We like LOTS of cheese. Mix the bread crumbs with the margarine and then sprinkle over top. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.

Quick, easy and delicious. There wasn't any left over!