Photo Fridays 04.29.11

This is a picture of me and my sister with our baby brother James:

I think I need to go ahead and admit that he isn't a baby anymore. You see, he's getting married this weekend.

On second though, no, he'll always be my baby brother. I love you James! Looking forward to celebrating with you and Dawn!

Easter Sunday

Sunday started bright and early with Abigail waking up a few minutes before 6:00. We showed the girls their little Easter basket. They were happy to receive books, bubbles, and a few small toys. Before heading out we tried our luck at getting a cute picture of the girls in their Easter dresses. And check them out a year ago.

Sarah saw that Abigail was wearing a head band and wanted one of her own, even though there isn't a whole lot of hair to hold back.

We went to church early for Easter brunch followed by an Easter egg hunt for the kids.

After a great Easter service we headed to Nonna and Papa's for dinner and more Easter fun.

My Grandfather got special gifts for the girls. I have a post in draft form with a video clip waiting to be uploaded of Abigail and Grandpa singing their version of "A Tisket, A Tasket". When they sing they sing about Abigail's, Sarah's, and Bridget's baskets. Each basket is a different color. So, Grandpa got Abigail a yellow basket and got Sarah a pink one.

The girls were beat by the end of the day-but they had a great day! Hope everyone had a Happy Easter!

Easter Eggs!

On Saturday we kicked off Easter weekend by coloring eggs. Abigail was able to do a bit more this year than last year while Sarah was more of a spectator.

It was about lunch time when we finished, so I asked Abigail if she wanted one of the eggs for lunch. Believe it or not, she hasn't had a hard-boiled egg up to this point in her life. She stated that yes, she wanted the orange one. So, she grabbed it and immediately tried to take a bite-before I had a chance to remove the shell!

Once we de-shelled the egg and seasoned it Abigail had her first taste. She said "mmm" but was just being polite I think. She didn't end up eating it.

Photo Fridays 04.22.11

Fun with paper towels...

Our Little Performers

On Sunday the girls got up on stage at church to share some of the worship songs they learned at GENESIS Kids. I was wondering if Sarah would even go up there, but she did. I was also happy to see Sarah participate a bit. All of the kids did a great job!

What's Cooking: Spaghetti with a Kick

I wasn't sure what to call this. It's actually angel hair pasta with a spicy tomato "sauce". This is a meal I remember eating when I was probably 10 or so. I asked my Mom how to make it and it turned out to be a pretty simple recipe. So, here you go, what I'll call "Spaghetti with a Kick".

Modifications/Substitutions: None.

Ease: This is a very simple and easy recipe. I'll give it 4.5 stars. Here's how it goes...

Ingredients:

3/4 pound angel hair pasta
1 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes with green chilis
1 14.5 ounce can of plain diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon oil
water

Directions:

Heat a skillet on medium-high heat. Melt butter and add oil.

In the meantime, break pasta into 1.5 inch pieces and set aside.

Add pasta to the heated skillet. Brown pasta, stirring often to avoid burning.

Once pasta is browned, add cans of diced tomatoes. You may also need to add a little water as the pasta cooks (I added about 1/4 cup).

Cook until pasta is al dente. Serve.

Affordability: This meal is SO inexpensive to make. Can we say less than $3.00 for the pasta and tomatoes? Five stars here.

Taste: Even with adding plain tomatoes the meal was a bit spicier than I remembered. Though, we still enjoyed it. It is a simple and easy recipe-a quick fix when you aren't sure what else to make. Though, judging by the fact that Jonathan had leftover meatloaf for dinner the next night instead of this meal's leftovers I'll only give it 3.5 stars (though I would award more like 4).

Family-Friendly: Abigail tried it and seemed ready to eat it all up, but then she opted for black beans instead. I think it was a bit on the spicy side for her. Sarah didn't touch it, but she wasn't feeling well (she actually got sick after filling up on other things). Alas, this recipe will only get 2 stars for family-friendliness. Maybe when the girls are closer to 10 years old they'll go for it. Doesn't hurt to try I guess.

What's Cooking Rating: 3.75 stars

Photo Fridays 04.08.11

Our girls got sick this week. Again. I really am done with stomach bugs and colds. I want my girls back!

Sarah did what she has never done before. She fell asleep in the living room-no rocking, no milk, no nap routine.

Easter Craft: Paper Butterflies

We tried our hand at making paper butterflies this week. I found the idea on WomansDay.com. Though, I had trouble getting the template, so basically we went on our own with it.

I used scrapbooking paper instead of origami paper. I folded the paper in half, then in half again. Then I drew my own butterfly to cut out.

After cutting the paper we ended up with two butterfly shapes. We glued these together so that both sides of the butterfly would have the purple pattern on them.

The last step was to add a pipe cleaner for the body and antenna.

Abigail made one too (with a little help from Mommy).