Isaac and Great-Great Mother

Spring Picture Day @ School

Cheese!

-Today is picture day at school. I had a hard time deciding what Daniel should wear. What do you put on a 3 year old preschooler for pictures? The clothing choice must look nice (for the picture) and be able to withstand a day in the life of a preschooler (lunch, play time and messy classroom activities -gluing, painting, etc.) After much debating and consulting with Daddy (who has strong opinions about what his boys wear) we went with the orange plaid button up Old Navy shirt (sleeves rolled up) and blue jeans (comfortable and stylish). We brushed teeth, styled the hair (which I am sure was messed up before getting in the classroom), got dressed and Mommy snapped some pictures. Every time I got ready to snap a picture Daniel would tilt his head to the right and say "Cheese!". I wonder if they have been practicing posing for their pictures at school? (I'll have to ask.) I am anxious to hear how the picture taking adventure went and can't wait to see the proofs. (Daniel's fall school pictures were adorable.)

LabelDaddy Labels

-I have been on a search for adorable, durable and affordable labels. I am finding that there are several of the boy's belongings that I need to label and the ugly permanent marker is just not appealing to me. I ran across Label Daddy in my search. I love their choices of labels (several sizes of sticky labels, bag tags, etc.) I love their choices of colors. They have each of the boy's "colors" (Daniel=green, Caden=blue, Isaac=orange). I love their icons. They have an icon to "fit" each boy. (Label Daddy, if you happen to be reading this I would love for you to add a monkey icon.) I like that you can purchase big packs of labels (with various sizes) or you can purchase a package of one size of labels (right now I want/need the medium all purpose label). When I found Label Daddy , I also found their blog and discovered they are giving away 5 - $50 gift certificates. I was so excited. It will cost me $74.95 (plus shipping) to order exactly what I want - a $50 gift certificate would be WONDERFUL. (This is the part where I should really direct you to the site of the giveaway but I really don't want to because then I have a slightly better chance of winning. :) - I know - selfish.)

Fire

-Saturday was a beautiful day. The boys enjoyed spending time outside, running in the yard, picking up sticks, riding their tricycle and car and going for a ride on the lawn mower with Daddy. After playing outside, the boys enjoyed a snack and were then ready for a nap. Daddy stayed outside to work in the garage and in the yard. I decided to tackle the never ending pile of laundry. I was putting clothes in the dryer when I started smelling smoke (the smoke you smell when leaves are burning). My first thought was that Richard decided to burn some sticks and leaves - then I heard sirens. I went out the door and saw our mail laying on the steps and the mower in the drive way - I thought Richard had gotten hurt. I then saw Richard and several of our neighbors standing down at the road and I saw the "blackened field" across the road. A fire started behind the trailer across the road and quickly spread to the tree line. The once beautiful field across from our house is now black. Sad :( No one knows how the fire started but we are all thankful that the fire department arrived quickly and prevented the fire from spreading.

Friday Family Favorite - PASTA

-We LOVE pasta! I found this recipe at DisneyFamily.com and I had to try it. It was a hit! Everyone LOVED it and we will be adding it to our regular monthly menu. (I did make a few minor modifications.

Bow Ties with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream

Ingredients
1 (12 ounce package) bow tie pasta (We like Cremette)
2 tablespoons olive oil (We like Bertolli)
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed and crumbled (We like Johnsville)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup diced onion
(I forgot to purchase an onion.)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 ounce) can Italian-style plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
(I used Italian-style stewed tomatoes)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
(I also added a small can of sliced black olives)

Directions
1.) Bring a large pot of slightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain
2.) Heat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Cook sausage and pepper flakes until sausage is evenly browned. Stir in onion and garlic, and cook until onion is tender. Stir in tomatoes, cream and salt. Simmer until mixture thickens, 8 to 10 minutes.
3.) Stir cooked pasta into sauce, and heat through. Sprinkle with parsley.

YUM!