Thinkin' bout Summer...

Who isn't? With all the snow we've gotten, and the fact that we're pretty much stuck in doors 24/7 except for errands, why not daydream a little about the warmth of the sun.... maybe even some far off tropical places. Shoot, I'll take Ava's baby pool in the back yard any day over this crazy everlasting snow!

With Summer in mind, (okay that might be a stretch, but at least we're thinking of Spring right?), I thought I'd share the new scarf that Avon just released. It's a lightweight Rayon with metallic threads and is going for $7.99 ea. in campaign #6 if you purchase any other fashion item. If you'd rather not get anything else in the fashion department, you're look at a $14.99, but still a great price.

Glam 'N" Gorgeous Summer Scarf

$14.99 if purchased separately

$7.99 each

with any fashion purchase (pages 94-111)

So for all the Ladies out there who just love accessories of all kinds, check this out! It's ideal for all occasions and comes in 3 great colors (I'm a sucker for anything blue- matches my eyes). Maybe you want to dress up a tank and jeans, or add a little color to your little black dress. Or maybe you have a low cut top you've tucked away in your dresser thinking you'll never wear it again since its so low... add this scarf and your old shirt becomes new again.

We've got lots of new things coming out this Spring and Summer. Be sure to check back for updates, or click my link to the left and browse through my website. If there is anything I can help you with, just let me know.

Spicy Valentine's Day...

hot hot hot! As we'd say to Ava if she was trying to touch something hot.

Valentine's Day really isn't a big deal for us. If we're going to celebrate our love on a special day, why not our anniversary? That said, we didn't do much. On Saturday I made brownies and we ate them warm with ice cream on top while we watched a movie. Sunday was a pretty busy day for us as I had to be at church by 7:30am since I was singing, which meant that Nathan had Ava. That always makes for an interesting day, but luckily, Ava had a new VeggieTales waiting on her. (Na said she smiled and ran to the TV the minute he held it up to show her.) Church went well and afterwards I headed to the grocery store to get a few things we needed for our Spicy Valentine's Day meal, Creole Jambalaya.

Why am I talking about food again? Because we have 100 feet of snow up here and there isn't anything to do but eat! Seriously though, we've been stuck inside for too long and so there isn't too much going on here. Ava is getting her back molars, and even though we've heard that 2yr molars are horrible for toddlers and parents, Ava is working through it like a champ. She did have a meltdown in Costco yesterday and threw my C-card, which I never found, and then threw my cell phone... but oh well. She is only 17-1/2 months after all and that isn't normal behavior for her.

Back to our yummy HOT dinner. My Father-in-law works for a part of the CDC and as funny as it is, they put out a cookbook last year, which we got for Christmas. As I was looking through it for something interesting, this jambalaya recipe caught my attention. I found all the ingredients, halved the recipe, and made it Sunday night for Valentine's Day. Even Nathan, who has no taste buds left and can eat the hottest chicken wings at Keggler's without blinking, had to take his time with this dish. From the get-go, I started off with a glass of milk, and then had to go back for seconds. So it was definitely hot, hot, hot. But oh so good!

If you'd like to try something new, email me or comment and I'll get it to you. And I'll suggest that you start with 1tbsp of creole seasoning and work your way up from there.

Ava and her "prevbul" (pretzel) after a nap on Sunday.

As I said before, we haven't done too much lately with all the snow. It's actually snowing right now... imagine that. Last Saturday we got a surprise as church was canceled for us. The day before was when we had the big snow storm and many of the roads were closed, so for the first time in the 6 year history of our church, we didn't meet. I enjoyed the fact that I didn't have to get up early since I was supposed to sing, but also the fact that we could be incredibly lazy and stay in where it was warm. And that's what we've been trying to do ever since... stay warm.

If you're interested, I added our Pastor's blog to our reel. He is hilarious, and we love getting to hear Toney every Sunday. (Bryan, Ryan, and Ethan too!)

Expecting more...

Yep, that's right...we're getting MORE SNOW!!!! Actually it's already started. We're under a winter storm warning and www.weather.com is forecasting 6-10" w/ lots of drifting snow, and our local stations are thinking more like 6"..... guess we'll find out tomorrow.

I mean, come on! Can we really handle more snow right now? PA was declared in a 'state of emergency' on Saturday morning and things around here really haven't gotten much better. Yes, most of us have cleared our driveways the best we can, and most of the roads are somewhat* clear, but there are still lots of roads around here that are horrible. Ava and I tried to go to the grocery store yesterday for our weekly groceries, (not emergency food mind you) and ended up driving down the middle of some of the roads to get around snow banks. Then of course when we got to the store, we couldn't find half of the things we needed.

*by somewhat I mean, lanes are half their normal width due to snow banks, corners are oh so sharp and must be made incredibly slowly, and there is still ice everywhere which makes you think you're hitting potholes when you drive over them.

I tried to take pictures as often as I could starting Friday afternoon. These are the pictures that turned out the best.

Friday roughly 12:30pm

(if you're wondering, that's my Guster t-shirt reflecting in the window)

Friday about 2:30pm

our back deck

7:00 am Saturday morning...

gotta love the reflection of our living room, sorry

the front

opening the garage door

you may not be able to tell, but the snow was sloped down towards the door, so what Nathan is shoveling is not all we got.

one of the many piles

our porch stairs are missing....

found one... but not the bottom one!

Nathan and our neighbor Shayne.

It took them about 3 hours

Off the back deck

getting ready to take Ava out, she thought she could help sweep the stairs

making her way to Daddy

Ava brought her snack along for fun

oh so cold, but what a happy girl

checking it all out

We put her up on the snow pile

She wasn't too excited about it

We'll update after our next round of snow... and what's that? Maybe more snow this weekend? You've GOT to be kidding me!

"Baff"...

It never fails these days, when we ask Ava if she is done with her current meal, that she asks for a "baff." I think this started about a month or so ago, when I starting giving her baths right after lunch. Our little girl who used to be so good at signing "all done," or saying "done" rarely does those things anymore..... now its just "baff!"

This morning after heading out to play (which really means watching Daddy shovel the snow), we came back in and had lunch. I think Ava knew that if she put her food in her hair, she would definitely end up in the "baff."

So for your enjoyment, here is Ava today at lunch.

And Nathan was right... this was totally blog-worthy!

Pics...

Pictures for Gigi. (thats Ava's Great Grandma... GGma...get it?)

Ava and I treated ourselves to a small lunch a few weeks ago

before a checkup for my dental implants.

She of course flirted with the two gentlemen who sat behind us, and they thought she was amazing.

our silly girl

she must have everything on the couch with her


I found Ava down on the landing trying on my old shoes....
this is her new idea of fun. She also likes trying to walk in them

playing with her music table

once again at Lilliput, celebrating Joshua's birthday

(she loves bananas, "nana")

watching Daddy play Wii

(it was given to us as a Christmas gift!)

she is a Daddy's girl for sure

It was Ava's idea to wear the headband, she LOVES them!

I'll be in the shower and she'll peek her head in with a headband in her hand and

want me to put it on her. Nathan calls her "workout Ava" when she wears these.

It's a keeper...

We don't eat out, thats just how it is. Okay, I shouldn't say we don't, because on occasion we do, and that makes those times special. Eating out is expensive, and with a toddler it can often be a nightmare. So I cook or prepare 3 meals a day, (sometimes heating up chicken nuggets is all we have time for.)

I am always looking for new things to try, things that are relatively inexpensive yet tasty, things that we'll all like, things that are quick and easy. I recently signed up to receive Parenting magazine again, they were having a super deal, 3 years for $12. Wow! Each month the magazine has a few meal ideas, and I stumbled across one that I thought sounded pretty good and last week we gave it a try.

Wow, was it good!!!!

The best part was how much flavor it packed in such a simple dish. Now we did make a few minor adjustments to the recipe.... for example, it called for uncooked turkey sausage links, that were to be cooked for 20 minutes. We don't have that extra 20 minutes, so instead we got Hillshire Farms cooked sausage, and it was quick, easy, and GOOD.

So for all of you out there who like to cook and want to try a new recipe, I thought I'd share. (And if you happen to have any recipes you'd like to share w/ us, please feel free to do so!)

Enjoy!

Penne w/ sausage and red peppers.

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 polish sausage ~ 1lb

1 c. chopped onion

1-1/2 red pepper (or 16oz frozen peppers if you can find them)

1/4 c. water

1/2 c. diced tomatoes

1 tbsp. basil

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/8 tsp black pepper

1 tsp. worcestershire sauce

1 lb penne

-Heat oil in skillet over med/high.

-Brown sausage

-Add onion and saute 1 min.

-Add pepper, spices, h20, tomatoes, & worcestershire sauce

-Simmer 10 minutes

-Cook pasta according to box, drain, and mix w/ sausage mixture.

great vegetables...

Oh the joy that shows on Ava's face in the morning when a bright red tomato and tall green cucumber come hopping across the tv screen.

No, we didn't get cable, but we did two new DVDs. Actually, Joshua gave Ava her very first VeggieTales DVD for her birthday. But since Ava hasn't ever been interested in anything on tv other than music (she refused to watch Baby Einstein), we didn't open it until just recently.

And what a perfect gift it was. There are 4 stories, lots of silly songs, and Ava just grins and laughs every time she sees Bob and Larry. She was so excited by it, that I couldn't help but get another one. I was at Walmart a week or so ago and picked up this one:

I had no idea that it was the newest VeggieTales, just out on Jan. 23rd. We've watched it several times, and although I must admit I enjoy the other collection better, this one is quite entertaining, and has reminded me of a few that I need to do in my life. And by watched, I mean, its on the TV while Ava is also playing in the living room. She doesn't actually sit and watch, but does pause every once and a while to laugh, point, and dance.

When I was younger my Mom always gave me something small for Valentines Day. I remember several times getting roses, chocolate hershey kiss roses that is. I'm a chocolate addict you know! Anyway, I wanted to get Ava a little something, something she could enjoy, so I went ahead and got her another VeggieTales when I was at Target buying Joshua's birthday present. (Happy Birthday Joshua - he turned 2 this past Wednesday) It's also a newer one, 'The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's - the story of a prodigal son.'

That brings our collection to three, but I doubt it will stop there. VeggieTales are something that we can all enjoy, they are creative, silly, educational, spiritually based, and they make Ava happy. What could be better?