Snow Day!

What to do on a snow day? Snowy things! We finally got a nice snow here, good packing snow, so we could practice our snowman making skills. Gum drop eyes, oreo cookie smile, gummy santa nose, mints as his buttons, scarf and hat. I noticed we forgot to give the poor guy some arms. Whoops! We had a great time, she loves the snow! We lucked out and didn't get clobbered like most others around here. We maybe got 8 inches tops. It rained here too, making it seem like less. I'm not complaining, a big snowstorm around here is not fun! Small, old streets + 20 inches of snow + on street parking= not leaving the house for a week.

We also got to taste test some fresh falling from the sky snow! Mmmmm!

And lastly, I copied a project they were doing in her school and we made fluffy snowman, painted with a "snow" of shaving cream and glue! When it dries, it stays puffy and squishy, very cool! She loved this. Especially the glitter part. Why do kids love glitter?! And why do they need to use a gallon of it per project?!

Ta Da! The finished product. Our super happy, fluffy snowman!

A Potty Story

The lonely little potty. Waiting for some baby bum bums. Poor potty.

It's all ready and waitin' for some tiny hiney to sit and use it. Books are waiting to be read on it. Toys even. Chocolate rewards. But a certain little girl is resisting the potty. Here is a snippet of dialogue that happened yesterday as I noticed the tell-tale sign of Sadie going into a corner quietly.

"Do you need to go poops?"

"No."

"Let's go try the potty."

"No, I AM using the potty."

"You are?"

(Nod)

"That's not a potty, that's your diaper. The potty is in the bathroom. Come on, let's go try it."

"No, that potty's broken. I'm usin' this one here."

"It's broken?"

"Ya, it's broken. I'm usin' this one."

Uh huh. And she did.

Does anyone have any hints on how to potty train a stubborn little girl?! We are going nowhere here!

Hits and Misses

I received two awesome cookbooks for Christmas from my Mom. One was The Slow Cooker Bible and the other was The Pioneer Woman Cooks. And we all know how much I love my crock pot AND my Pioneer Woman! The first recipe we chose was Chicken and Black Bean Chili. It's the one recipe I forgot to photograph. Oh, and John made it from start to finish! I LOVED this chili! Definitely one to keep. Great depth of flavor (which sometimes you don't get with a slow cooker) and chicken in the crock pot is always so tender. Served with shredded cheddar, sour cream, chips and corn bread (addicted to this stuff), it was an ultimate comfort meal. So, this was a hit.

The second hit was from Ree, the wonderful Pioneer Woman, called Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce. Ohhhh, baby. Delicious. Wonderful. But anything is, with an entire cup of heavy cream in the sauce. It was very simple, just fettuccine and this delectable sauce, with fresh basil sprinkled over the top. This would be fantastic with chicken or shrimp, as well. But...... lack of time made us stick to a simple recipe. We served it with some pesto flat bread and a glass of merlot, and divine, my dears!

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce. Eat this only in the winter, far, far away from beach season.

Now for the miss. At least for me. John on the other hand thought this was a huge hit. Which is why he ended up eating most of it. :) It was from the slow cooker bible and it was called Chinese Chicken Stew. The spice in this dish was chinese 5 spice, and I just don't think it's for me. I wasn't crazy about the type of smokiness that it lent to the dish. John likes to think he has a more diverse palate than me and that is why he liked it, but we all know the truth on that one. :)

Chinese Chicken Stew, a hit for some, a miss for others!

So hopefully I will be cooking a lot more lately, as I really slacked towards the last part of the year. On tonight's menu? A favorite around here: Bobby Flay's Meatloaf, with smashed potatoes and roasted asparagus (#1 veggie of choice in this house!). Wish me luck, somehow this meal always ends up taking me forever. I may have mentioned it before, but I am a slow cooker (pun intended)! Ah, that was a bad one.

Wordless Wednesday: Happy Fairy Girl

Ya know what is cool? Finding a pair of 3T fairy wings on clearance at Old Navy this Christmas. Paired with her homemade tutu from our friends Dana and Amelia, she was clearly in magical fairy heaven!

A New 'Do

In honor of this new year, I thought I'd start it off by chopping my hair! Ok, so I did it a week ago, but I think it still counts. Out with the old, in with the new! I've had long hair for at least 15 years. That's a long time, my friends. And I've always been petrified of cutting it. Fearing the worst. I bit the bullet. It can always grow back, right? In the beginning of 2010, my hair was past the middle of my back. Now, a foot shorter and much less puffy, I start off my year a little bit braver, and a lot happier I finally took the plunge! See, I told you I love January Highs!

Deep Cleansing Breath

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

(Sadie's celebration was at 7 pm, though.)

There is something cleansing about the start of a new year, no? A clean slate kind of feeling. The this-year-will-be-different fantasies flood in. It can be kind of euphoric! We're allowed to put the parts of last year that we'd rather forget, on a shelf waaaaay in the back, and with a clear mind and a renewed spring in our step, march forward into the new, the better, the happier 2011. In January, the possibilities seem limitless! We have a "let me at 'em!" approach to life. I think we all deserve and, most importantly, need this feeling of rebirth, new hope and anticipation. No, of course it doesn't last, but that's ok. It's job is already done. It gave us a chance to sit still for a moment to think (a precious gift in and of itself) and reevaluate our lives and figure out what changes we would like to make. It lets us dream a little bit. It can give us inspiration. If we're lucky, some motivation. So what if it doesn't always last? If it wasn't for January, we'd never do it these things period, we're too busy! I really appreciate the January New Year High. So to all of you in this new year, I wish you health, inner peace, contentment with what you have, dreams that inspire you, and motivation to make them happen. Happy New Year!

Wordless Wednesday: Merry Christmas!

Nana had snow for Christmas so we got to go sledding! Thanks for the sled, Nana!

Homemade cookies (decorated by our little elf herself) and a carrot for the reindeer. She loved this part!

Opening her stocking and thoroughly enjoying it!

Loving a present from Santa- a doll high chair.

Christmas candy cane dress.

Hoping everyone had a very merry Christmas, now onto the New Year!