A Special Day...

To my dear sweet husband on your Birthday...

If Not For You
If not for you,

I wouldn’t know what true love really meant.

I’d never feel this inner peace;

I couldn’t be content.
If not for you,

I’d never have

The pleasures of romance.

I’d miss the bliss,

the craziness,

Of love’s sweet, silly dance.
I have to feel your tender touch;

I have to hear your voice;

No other one could take your place;

You’re it;

I have no choice.
If not for you,

I’d be adrift;

I don’t know what I’d do;

I’d be searching for my other half,

Incomplete,

if not for you.

~By Joanna Fuchs

Max and Santa 2009...

Max's 2009 picture with Santa....Emma was sleeping and I didn't want to wake her up...

Recipe Of The Week...

This was by far the MOST delish meal I have ever made. Max even ate it up asking for seconds....and he ate all of it, even the cranberries and onion!

Cranberry Orange Pork Loin

Ingredients
2 T. olive oil
3 lbs of pork loin, tied
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1 large sweet onion, coarsely chopped
2 cans whole berry cranberry sauce
Grated zest of 2 oranges
Juice of 2 oranges, about 1 cup
2 t. dried thyme leaves
1/2 cup beef broth

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Sprinkle roast with salt and pepper and add to the pan.

2. Cook pork for 2 minutes per side; transfer to slow cooker. Add onion, cranberry sauce, orange zest, orange juice, thyme, and broth; stir.

3. Cover; cook pork on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

4. Remove cover; transfer pork to cutting board and cover. Let rest for 15 minutes. Skim off fat from cooking liquid to make a sauce; slice pork and serve with sauce.

For our side dish I made roasted Parmesan mashed potatoes .....after you have boiled and mashed the potatoes add 2-4 T of butter, about 1/2 cup milk, and about a 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan....season with salt and pepper.

Just Rambling...

Wouldn't it be great if there were a pill I could take and not have to sleep. Imagine what I could get done while my crazies (Max, Emma and Karl) were in bed!!!!

I could clean without dragging my 2-yr old around...
I could read a book...without my 35- year old hubbie interrupting me...
I could crochet to my hearts content...
I could actually eat a warm dinner....
I could catch up on all the scrapbooking I have been meaning to get to for the last 4 months...

What bliss that would be....I am almost giddy just thinking about it.

Recipe Of The Week...

Since I have had a few requests for some of the recipes I have made recently I decided that I will start posting recipes that I have tried and really liked. Bon Appetite'.

Chicken Parmesan w/ Penne Pasta
Ingredients:
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
2 eggs, slightly beaten
12 chicken tenders fillets (you can can also use breasts and slice them into tender size)
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup bottled Marinara sauce
1 cup shredded four cheese blend
12 fresh basil leaves (the recipe calls for leaving the basil whole, but I lightly chopped mine)
Cooked penne pasta and remaining Marinara sauce (or any pasta of your choice...ziti would be great as well as linguine)

1. Heat oven to 375'
2. Place bread crumbs in a shallow dish and egg in a shallow bowl. Dip chicken pieces in egg, shaking off excess. Coat with bread crumbs; place on a plate.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add half the chicken and cook for 3 minutes per side. Remove to a 13 x 9 baking dish. Repeat with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and remaining chicken.
4. Spoon marinara sauce over chicken in dish. Top with basil and then sprinkle cheese over chicken.
5. Bake at 375' for about 10 minutes, until bubbly and cheese melts. Serve with cooked penne and marinara sauce.

Frustration......times ten!

This week has been long and rough. We are part of a great playgroup and usually there are tons of things to do each week ~ not the case this past week. There was only one thing on the calendar for the week and we weren't able to make it because we were getting our new TV fixed.

Besides me being a little worried about what we would do we had some yucky weather to boot ~ which not only makes Max a little crazy it makes the dog a little crazy....it's like cabin fever super intensified. We started out ok for the beginning of the week and were even able to go outside for a bit while Emma was napping....by Thursday I was starting to feel the tiny threads holding me to sanity starting to fray. Friday was a very hard day. It's like children know exactly what to do drive you absolutely insane. Max is a very bright child and incredibly smart and I swear he lies in bed at night plotting the final demise of my sanity. I try very hard to be a good mom...I don't let him watch alot of TV, I give him structured discipline, we read book and we play with educational toys but I tell you what Friday was a hard day to be a mom.

By the time Saturday rolled around I felt like a volcano....anger just boiling under the surface and it seemed like I could not get it under control no matter what I did. I was able to get out by myself for a few hours in the morning to run a few errands and I thought it would help....it didn't. I am not an aggressive person but I really felt like I could have hurt someone....I just wanted to scream and yell and break something. It is not a good feeling to have that. Especially when you have kids. I finally just took the dog outside (even in the pouring rain) and just ran around with her. Max never did nap, Emma wouldn't nap and the day was just beating me down.

Karl and I just kept telling ourselves that eventually the time would come that they would go to bed for the night. Since neither of them napped they both went to bed early ~ Emma at 5 pm and Max at 6 pm. They both slept like logs all night.

Sometimes I feel like a little piece of me is being ripped away, when you become a mother you no longer have a strong sense of self. I feel like I give, and give, and give and I don't always feel like I get back. I hate how selfish that sounds but sometimes that is just how I feel. My day consists of getting the kids fed, the dog fed, getting the house clean, doing the dishes, the laundry, making dinner, being a wife to my husband, etc...etc...etc. When do I get to be Miranda??? I find myself craving silence and time to just do things I want to do...again I hate how selfish that sounds.

But I get up every day and realize that it's a brand new day. Today the sun is shining and I got to sleep in until 9 am ( thank you to my wonderfully patient husband!) and I feel better. I realize that sometimes I just have to have bad days, just so I can truly appreciate the good days....and there are good day. I am blessed to have a wonderful husband, healthy children, and loving family. I have a roof over my head and food in my belly....the rest is just stuff I have to learn to deal with.

A new link...

I just added a new blog link to the right side of my page and suggesting to anyone out there that has kids to take a look....

My friend Mel was the first to share this GREAT blog so now I am passing it along. It's called Diagnosis Urine and this women is truly my idol!

I have never laughed so hard and completely out loud in my life while reading a blog!!!! HILARIOUS!

Getting In The Spirit...

The holiday bug has bit me!
We are going to Michigan again this year for Christmas ~ mainly because we have lost the family that was renting our house so we are going to just check things over and make any necessary repairs, if anyone is looking to buy/rent a home in the Grand Blanc area let me know. :)

Anyhue since we are going to be traveling again for the holiday I have decided to not put up a tree.....we wouldn't really be here long enough to enjoy it and basically I just don't want the hassle. BUT I did decide to put out some of my decorations and now that they are up I might be re-thinking my tree decision.

Hmmmm any thoughts?