I'm so glad Jesus made cars and bikes...

Peanut has a unique way of looking at things...she completely humbles me at times, even inspires me by her childlike purity in thinking.

She has a relationship with her Heavenly Father that even I am a little envious of at times...her prayers are heartfelt and real. No pretense or trying to "find the right words" for her...nope, she just tells it like it is...

And, she blurts out statements that just sometimes stop me in my tracks...

We went on a little "adventure" today...that's what she likes to call them...those special times where it's just me and her or her and daddy. Today, we found a spot to ride our bikes over a really big bridge. She says things like, "It's so pretty Mommy, just wait a minute, I'm almost starting to cry and I can't or I won't be able to see." She just takes things in...

"Mommy, I like when we go on adventures and we see new scenic things" She sounds like she's 5 going on 30, but I love it!!!

So, while on our little excursion, she blurts out, "I'm so glad Jesus made cars and bikes"...yep, she likes her bike. She likes riding with her Mommy. She is learning to be comfortable in who she was made to be!

I'm having a hard time watching her grow though, to be honest. I want to empower her, to have her know that she CAN do it, but sometimes I long for her to just stay that dependent little child.

Last week was her first day at school. In the act of empowerment, we let her get on that bus, and didn't go with her to class, didn't see her at lunch, nor pick her up after school. She rode the bus all the way home.

No, she didn't eat her lunch due to a little nervous stomach...
Yes, her teacher panicked...
No, Peanut had no qualms about using her little charge card at lunch to at least get come chocolate milk, although her older sister wouldn't have TOUCHED the thing without prior permission...
Yes, she left her folder at school...
Yes, a little boy punched her in her arm the first day...
No, it didn't hurt all that much...

and YES, she survived...she made it through...she was proud of herself, she knew Jesus was with her all day too...and YES, she's ready to go back again this week...and I have been informed that she will be ordering pizza on Friday!!!


Another first this week:

She scored 2 goals in her very first soccer game of her entire short life...
She wasn't excited or anything...

A Little Change in Venue

I thought with all the talk about school, my girls, the crying, the D.R.A.M.A., blah blah blah...perhaps I should get onto other things for just a bit...

You know that I am a "wanna-be" Italian...you know, with that good, solid Italian Irish name that means "girl". Yeah, well, a girl can pretend...

But, for all intents and purposes, I am Italian (by marriage)...

Okay, so all this at this point should make you afraid, very afraid...because basically a very NON-Italian girl is going to give you her recipe for homemade pasta sauce...and since you know I'm soooo into disclaimers, here comes another one:

The thing that you have to remember is that every time I do sauce, it comes out differently...why you ask? because all my tomatoes are different sizes and sometimes I use my big boy tomatoes and other times I use celebrity and next year, we hope to plant marzettis...and seriously, if you think I actually "measure" everything to an exact science...well, I'm sorry to disappoint, but there is just NO FUN in that...and I kinda struggle with the whole attention problem, so trying to get it just so...well, it puts me over the edge...that, and my struggle with perfection...but, that's just a whole 'nother issue all together...

Basically, this is what I start with...then I just keep tasting and stirring and simmering and then I stick some bread in and taste it some more and maybe make my self a small bowl of pasta and try it that way...all the while I keep throwin' in more stuff to make it taste the way I want...and honestly, each batch I do something different: I'll throw in sausage or peppers or use a red onion instead of a sweet one...just for the kicks and giggles...

cuz I really do get the giggles when I start making this stuff...hee hee

So, without further ado...here's my sauce:

First, start off with about 10-12 of these bad boys:
I pick 'em good and plump and a little squishy...but, then again, sometimes I just throw a couple orange-ish colored ones in there for good measure (or because I don't really feel like doing yet another batch tomorrow and I'd rather just get one huge batch done in one evening) ANYHOO...get those tomatoes, rinse them off, do whatever it is that YOU do to blanche them...

(I had a whole discussion with some of you ladies this evening and it seems that I am behind the ball on this one...) basically, I just cut off the tops, drop them in boiling water for about 3 minutes, scoop them out and then scald my fingers whilst I yank off the skins...I have just recently been informed that an ice water bath (for the tomatoes, not me) is quite helpful to avoiding the scalding of the extremities...

Okay...so once they are blanched, skinned, whatever...I then strain them...you must remember that my girls like to think of pasta sauce as red, thick water...they do NOT like chunks, seeds, skins or anything else of a different texture than smooth in their mouths...and so I strain.

Last year, I used an orange juice strainer (basically had to do 1/2-one whole tomato at a time)
This year, I got a bigger one...and yet, those lady friends of mine told me that I need to get some sort of food grinder thingy...All I've got to say is that I warned you when you started reading...you knew what you were getting yourself into here...

When it's all said and done, you're going to have a big ole bowl of tomato puree/juice/liquid. Just set that aside for the time being...

Get yourself an onion...or pick two different kinds or if you don't like onion, don't use one at all (I know you are sooo loving the scientific detail here)
Today, I used half a red onion and half a white onion...cuz, that's what I had in the fridge...and I was crying already today, so I figured why not do it some more...
Get it all minced down...Man, just looking at these pictures is making my eyes water.

Then get yourself some garlic and mince that down too...I use about 4-5 cloves. But, again, that depends on the size of the cloves and just how much I like garlic...
Get it all in the pot and pour in the EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and simmer that on the stove until it's transluscent...
Then just pour in that tomato juice and here starts the fun stuff!

If you have fresh herbs, get ready to go do some pruning...if not, use what you have in your cupboard or head to the store:)

I like to start with the oregano...(probably because that one is closest to my kitchen door)
Mince it all up...I do it verrrrrrryyyyyy finely because I just recently convinced the girls that the green flecks were just "flavor" and they didn't have to pick them out of the sauce.
Onto the basil...chop it baby!!!
Parsley...you're going to start feeling like a regular Rachael Ray at this point...
I put about 2 Tablespoons of each herb into the sauce...a little less of the parsley, but that's just because I like oregano and basil best...so it's just whatever you like...
Stir it all up...your sauce will look a little pink at this point and have all those little green flecks floating around...but don't worry, it gets better...

Here enters that "non-fresh" ingredient: I usually need to use about 3-4 tomato pastes.
I don't like my sauce really thin, but not super thick either.

I add about 2-3 TBsp of brown sugar...now, if you like the sweetness, add a little more, if you don't then just omit this part...
Being ahem, Italian, we also make our own wine...I use the term "we" loosely because basically it's Italian STallion that makes the wine and I just take credit for when it turns out well...At this point, I add about 1/4 cup of our red wine...you can use cabernet, merlot, shiraz, etc...You don't have to put much in to get the flavor...it adds that "mmmmmmmmmm" factor I think...
Then you just salt to taste
And let it simmer for a long time to cook down...keep stirring it and tasting...if you used more tomatoes you may have to adjust the seasonings...I usually simmer it for about 4-6 hours, but it could be ready in 3.
In the end, it'll look a little like this...and your house will smell DELICIOUS!!!

Homemade Pasta Sauce

Blanche, peel and strain 10-12 tomatoes

1/2-1 medium onion minced

4-5 garlic cloves minced

2-3 TBsp Extra Virgin Olive oil

about 2 TBsp minced oregano

about 2 TBsp minced basil

about 1-2 TBsp minced parsley

3-4 cans of tomato paste

2-3 TBsp brown sugar

1/4 cup red wine

salt to taste

simmer for 4-6 hours

An Uneventful day???

I'd like to report that yesterday was thrilling, fun-filled, smiles all around, glorious, uneventful...

But, I'd only be telling a THIRD truth...

You see, only 1/3 of my brood was elated to get on the school bus! Only 1/3 of them was all smiles and giggles and energy-bottled-up-ready-to-explode-if-I-don't-get-to-school-in-the-next-5-minutes!!! AND, she even matched her best friend...they did the whole "coordinate the outfit" the night before...I can NOT believe we are at that stage already!!!

My other 2/3 were a mess...there's just no other way to explain it...I can't even liken it to anything because I could chuckle if it weren't so stinkin' SAD!

The other girlies just cried and cried..."my best friend is GONE...FOREVER..." (we do NOT encourage "drama" in our household, oh no, can't you tell?) I think Little Munchkin just balled because Peanut did and then Peanut kept crying because Little Munchkin was crying...it was the endless circle of tears...

Not to mention that I'm standing on quite the fragile emotional ledge here of late having to watch not one but TWO of my girlies head to school this year and I couldn't even let my guard down because I had to be "strong"...(this isn't necessarily one of "strong suits" either, considering I cry at EVERY viewing of the Notebook, Pride & Prejudice and countless other sappy movies that I"ve seen a HUNDRED TIMES)

But (Oh, thank the Lord for buts...not THOSE BUTTS, but the other buts...are you totally smiling because I keep saying the word but? I think I've been spending a lot of quality time with my 5 year old of late yes?) Anyhoo...the day progressed, we got the happys back...

How can they NOT come back after a trip to Barnes and Noble, getting a free book (SCORE), sucking down a free milkshake (DOUBLE SCORE) and getting to go swimming in the neighbor's pool for the afternoon (SCORE SCORE SCORE SCORE SCORE...WOOHOO)

With those happys back, my girlies eagerly awaited big sis by picking flowers...I thought these pics were too cute not to share...

Oh, and one more thing...completely unrelated to anything from above...we got a hummingbird stuck in our garge ALL AFTERNOON...so, I just took pictures of the little guy...he kept flying in figure 8s around the ceiling of my garage...we left the doors open, but he just wasn't getting out...Italian Stallion got him out when he got home from work...I'm not going to tell you how he did it, but I will tell you that the little bird DID fly away all by him or herself...he/she may have been a little dazed, but flew nevertheless!!!

A Poem by Italian Stallion

This was my husband's "status" last night...a poem...this was written after we put the girls to bed, I had already let the tears fall once that evening:

Twas the night before summer ends, when all through the house, our girls are the opposite of a quiet church mouse.

As they go to sleep with their eyes shut tight, poor ol' mom is giving her tears quite a fight.

Tomorrow begins a new chapter in our life, as everything changes for my wonderful wife.

At the end of the day when the kids exit the bus, I am sure we will wonder what ever was the fuss

I certainly hope that is the case...although, I'm not quite sure I like the reference to "Ol mom"...honey, what's up with that? He gets back on my good side with his "wonderful wife" plug though...

Yesterday was an adventure, last night we had a great family night...today, "normal" starts to look a little different. I have so many things running through my mind, so many things I'm praying for each of my girls...down to minute details...

We'll see how today goes...I'll post more later...

A Story about a Rock

Actually, it's a whole lot more than just a story about a rock... you see, my husband, that Italian Stallion, still amazes me, inspires me, and reminds me again and again why I fell in love with him in the first place.

Today was open house at our little school. It was Peanut's FIRST times doing the whole "school" thing outside of the security of our home. Now, if you know her well, she tends to be more adventurous (if you want to do a comparison) than her older sister and by and large can "hold her own" with the big kids. But, there is a side to her that surprisingly comes out, that sometimes just throws me for a loop...

But, it doesn't for my husband...nope, he reads his girls like no other person ever could.

She broke down in the classroom today while getting ready to go on a scavenger hunt around the school with her teacher. By broke down, I mean, sobbing. I honestly stood there quite dumbfounded b/c I didn't really know what to do...

in steps: DADDY

Unbeknownst to me, My dear, dear husband traveled back to his old stomping grounds (elementary school) to get something from his old playground earlier today on his lunch break. Something he used to do a lot of times when he was Peanut's age I guess. He stuck that "thing" in his pocket and kept it there all day until this evening when we went to the school. You see, HE had a hard time ad justing to school too...he missed his parents, his older brother & sister, he liked being home and new things scared him at times...so, he would get a little rock from his playground each morning to hold in his pocket...and everytime he felt sad or needed to be reminded of home, he would take out his little rock and give it a little rub. He could pray in his heart and remember that Jesus was already with him.

I don't know how he knew that Peanut would need JUST that sort of encouragement today, but he did...He saved that rock for such a time as this and she put that thing in a secret pocket in her bookbag for safe keeping. She was galloping the hallways after that...

See what I mean? He is just incredible...just another reminder of what an incredible man God gave to me and what an awesome Daddy he is to these girls!

What If You Won the Lottery

In keeping with the wave of "winning"...and by "wave", I mean...I won something one time, this past week...but it's gotten me so excited that I thought I'd just settle in this little dream world that I've created in my head and stay there for a few moments or so...please come join me...

Italian Stallion and I used to play this game on our long trips visiting family while we were in college. It's not that we're not content with what we have...it's just hilarious to think of all the things that you could get with a GAZILLION dollars! (if you didn't catch that, that was my disclaimer b/c I seem to be so into them lately...just want to make sure people understand me and sometimes that's hard on the computer screen) So, please feel free to join in and play with me here...

If I won the lottery...here are my top ten things that I would do first...this is all AFTER the obvious things like: pay off our mortgage and all the mortgages of all our family members and a few select friends...get all the girls' college, wedding and down payment on their first house all set aside...you know...the "regular" things we would do!

Here we go:
#1 I would add a beautiful back porch with patio and outside brick pizza oven (because you know any good Italian family NEEDS a good outdoor brick oven)...


all this WOULD include all patio furniture and of course, a porch swing...a nice ceiling fan on the porch might be nice as well...(while we're here in my little happy place, come sit and relax on my rocking chairs and sip some lemonade with me)

#2 I would buy all these cameras


AND all these lenses


I had to combine these all onto one, otherwise, my entire list would consist of camera accessories...I figured it would be quite a boring post for y'all if I just went on and on about the Nikkor 10-24mm and the Nikkor micro lens and the Nikon D300 and the Nikon D90 and...and...and...okay, I'll stop now.
oh, and I would also get the Canon versions of all of these for my BFF A-M...cuz, I'm just that sort of friend :)

#3 Back to the back of my house, as we're sitting here sipping on the lemonade and taking pictures with all my cameras...we can take cute photos of my girls swimming in my beautiful inground pool, complete with waterslide and waterfall...and a pool boy who take care of all maintenance requirements so that my dear Italian Stallion wouldn't have to bother with it...and he could probably bring us some lemonade refills and wipe our perspiring brows...(I'm just sayin'...it could just be part of his job ya know?)
#4 Okay, so in order to keep that lemonade nice and cool, I'll need one of these:
My fridge works just fine, but this model came out AFTER we got all our appliances for our house and oh my, if we were building NOW, I'd just order myself one of these! #5 I've got to throw in a large screen TV with all the Wii golf that my husband could possibly enjoy...this would all be added to our finished basement that I would have done, complete with game and lounge room for the girls.

#6 I would buy whatever land is left in our neighborhood and build houses for our dear friends the Austins and for my brother and his family...and since we have a GAZILLION dollars, I'd just throw in salary for them until they were able to find jobs here (considering they don't live in our state in the first place, so it would be quite the change for them...however, seeing as this is MY dream world...it would just work itself all out perfectly)

#7 This Washer and Dryer would be our next addition into a newly remodeled mudroom, complete with an outside spigot for dirty feet before the girls come into the house...and I"d be sure to have one of these in there too...just cuz I think it's pretty...and you gotta add the pretty to the mudroom sometimes!

#8 I would get a laptop with CS4 installed on it...that's pretty much all I'd need...oh and maybe I'd order up some "actions" and stuff too...but, that's about it I think.

#9 I believe a king sized bed would be a nice addition as well...may I just say, that if you have the money, or can sell things to get the money...when you get married, don't bother with the queen bed...you don't even really need a headboard or anything...just get the frame, 2 old box springs and then a really nice king sized mattress...it's worth it...especially if you plan on having kiddos...cuz by the time they are 2,5, and 7 they all want to crawl in bed with you in the mornings and there's just not enough room for all those squirming, growing bodies..
#10 I can't think of a super duper number 10 item...I'm sure I'd want to buy a new pair of jeans and get a new toaster (cuz ours is really quite nasty right now)...but, I think the last thing would be to travel...I'd love to take our family on really super vacations, I'd love to "honeymoon" again with Italian Stallion and go over to Italy...lots of options with this one I'm thinking...

Soooo, how about you...do you ever play the "what if I won the lottery game?" I'd love to hear any of your ideas or your top ten as well!!! Happy Monday!

EDIT: Just for the record, I don't even PLAY the lottery, which makes this post all the more ridiculous...but MUCH FUN to play on a long road trip, and when one wants to drift away into a "happy place" amidst the chaos of spilled milk, doggie doo on the floor, TV blaring, clogged toilets and mounds of laundry:)

Deep Thoughts

Since yesterday's blog post was a little "thoughtfull"...you know, with all that "Thinking" going on and stuff, so I thought I'd just continue the thinking with other deep thoughts and reflections...

1) Beware when all is peaceful one moment, because the second you need to use the bathroom...everyone will need you, there is someone at the door and the phone starts ringing.

2) Believing that the universe is infinitely big is easy, trying to figure out what to wear in the morning after your "friend" has come for a visit, is hard.

3) One thing that will make your sister really sad, is just running up and biting her on her belly and then running away.

4) Someone should invent a cleaning fairy...someone who does all the laundry, cleans the toilets, vacuums, loads the dishwasher, changes the sheets, cooks dinner..wait a minute...that's me.

5) My dad always told me "You think you know all the answers...You just don't know all the questions yet!" I think I agree with him now.

6) Trying to find a new bathing suit...something you ONLY wear once every other year because that's pretty much the only time you're at a pool because you're in Florida...after having 3 children...well, it's about as enjoyable as slamming your finger with a hammer...over and over and over again.

7) Why is it that sometimes, Cookie Dough is just the only thing that will do the trick...that and maybe a frapaccino?

That's it...not much goin' on upstairs today...
Have a great Sunday!