Pesto...

As a tribute to the month of March...here is a green recipe:

Pesto
1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
3 tbsps + 2 tsps olive oil
1 1/2 tsps minced garlic
3/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/3 tsp salt
1 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese

Combine all in a food processor until finely chopped. (This makes enough for use in both of the recipes listed below.)

You can top salmon with this...then bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, then top with more parmesan cheese...cook another 2 minutes until cheese is melted and serve with brown rice and a simple garden salad.

You can also make a chicken pizza with this pesto. Take a Boboli 12" pizza pie, top with 1/4 cup pesto, 1 lb. pan fried chicken strips, 1 chopped tomato, 1 can black beans (drained), and 1 1/2 cups mozarella/parmesan cheese. Bake for 12 minutes at 400 degrees.

Enjoy. (Courtesy of Taste of Home Simple and Delicious Cookbook)

4 Days Off

It is completely unheard of...but really, I had four days off in a row...and my husband was off for three of them too. On Wednesday night I said, "I have the next four days off." I think he thought I was joking because he later asked, "Do you really have the next four days off?" Then, we thought about what we should do with all of that time together. We tossed a couple ideas out, but in the end...we just lounged around the house. We got through the mountains of laundry....grocery shopped for the first time in three weeks...got the boys haircuts...played Wii (JMS was a good race car driver)...actually ate home cooked meals(well, except for the Cracker Barrel breakfast today)...and worked on a blanket that I'm crotcheting. So sad...because my sister went to Germany and back in the time that we had off. What would you have done with the four days off...knowing you had a two year old in your party...and a dog to consider. (Quincy, we love you.)

First Trip to the ER

Sunday morning...JMS slipped in the bathtub, we went to the ER and he was glued back together. Look for yourself:
And...no more than 5 minutes after we were home...he was jumping off the couch, rolling on the floor and racing around the house, as usual. I'm shocked that this is our first trip to the ER.

Chuck E Cheese's

Can you believe...Chuck E Cheese's has eliminated the ball bin? Remember...the loose balls that you'd "swim" in...that as you got older you heard horror stories of kids peeing in them? Well, we took JMS there last night for dinner...what were we thinking? It was my idea. And, there is no ball bin!!! Oh, and what we used to see...the four dancing electronic robot like figures behind the curtain...is now just one....in the corner. The place was different than I remembered it...but still served crummy pizza. :) OH, and the skee-ball machines actually gave us tickets! Either I was better at the game, or they have become less stingy. Your call.

JMS the dentist

Ever had your mouth examined by a two year old? I think he would have stuck his whole head in my mouth last night if he could.
We were sitting in the lay -z- boy and he turned around while we were watching American Idol and he takes two hands and forces my mouth open to evaluate my teeth. I asked him, "what do you see?" "Teeth, mommy." I said, "are they all there?" "No, mommy all gone." I said, "my teeth are all gone?" "uh, huh. All gone." Then he turned around and went back to watching the show. It was really funny. I envisioned my son being a dentist for the extent of the exam.

Separation Anxiety

JMS is suffering the Separtation Anxiety that I've read about....when children are around age two...apparentely something clicks and they realize that they "miss" their mommy.

Example #1: I leave the room....and I hear "mommy, where are you?"

Example #2: I leave the house to take something to the neighbor...and he throws a crying fit in the arms of his "dada."

Example #3: I go to church, leave him with his grandparents...and he throws a crying fit.

Example #4: I go to work, leave him with the babysitter (who has been watching him for over 12 months now)...and he throws a crying fit.....before we even pull completely into her driveway.

Oh, and its not just me...Example #5: on Monday we were all traveling in my car as a family, and his dada gets out of the car, to get into his truck...so we can take both vehicles back to the house...and JMS cries like he is never going to see his dada again!

The best part of all of this...are the incredibly serious hugs and kisses I get from him. And the sound effects: "mommmeee...."

Happy Birthday Party

We had 60 mile an hour wind gusts on Tuesday/Wednesday this week. So, JMS learned the words WIND and BLOW. So when we asked him to blow his candle out...he knew exactly what to do!

The cake...was made by yours truly and is supposed to be a baseball. I think I did pretty well. This was the "theme."
JMS was showing Grandma that he is two. Ok, so who taught him the proper sign-language for the #2?
And...lastly, thank you to everyone who sent him gifts. He did well!

Talking Twos

My thoughts on toddlers. This is not the "terrible twos." This stage should be called the "talking twos."

JMS was casually riding along in the backseat as we drove through town. When, I gawked, "holy cow!" And, he said, "holy cow mommie, holy cow!"

I was looking through photos on the blogs...and he climbed into my lap and said, "baby mommie?" "Yes, we are looking at Baby Harper and Baby Zoe." He said, "baby mommie?" I said yes, "where do babies come from?" He said, "store mommie."

I'm watching him eat dinner and I said, "JMS eat one chicken nugget." He said, "two." I said, "three." He said, "four." I said, "five." And we continued alternating all the way to NINE. Is that possible? Are two year olds supposed to be able to count?

So...I digress. Kim has me "one-upped." (unfortunately) JMS is no closer to potty training. Last night I had him taking a bath, and I asked, "do you have to go potty?" (after I heard some grunting) "No mommie, no potty." And, when I look again, he is holding out for me...."ew mommie." Yes, you imagined correctly.

Love the twos!

Stress Relief...Sunday's Sermon

Sermon: What if Women Wrote the Bible?
TEXT: Judges 4:1-9....I highly encourage you to click on the link "The Church" on my page and scroll down to read the sermon from Sunday. If anything, his jokes were funny.

I worked 15.5 hours today! My boss gave me too much critical feedback. My husband worked 15 hours today....too, and we celebrated our anniversary with a home cooked steak, potatoes and salad dinner.

If I could get my boss to listen to me I would say, .... ok....fill in the blanks yourself...and post a comment if you dare.

Love ya'll.

Photos of Ice Storm in our backyard

JMS 2 YEAR check up

Statistics:

Height 34 and 3/4 inches (57%)
Weight 29.6 pounds (70%)
Head Circumference 50.5 cm (89%)

Healthy, Happy "big boy" (as he'd tell you)

Eats about as much as a bird.
As energetic as a monkey (so we call him).
And chatters like my dad. :) The doctor said he should have a vocabulary of about 50 words...um try probably 100...and echos anything we say like a parrot!
We'll still keep him...thank you very much!

7 years on Monday

I just wanted to do this before I got distracted with JMS or work....my husband and I celebrate 7 years of marriage (so he reminds me...we've been together for 12) on Monday February 9th! I know this comment probably makes our parents feel old...or our friends wonder where did all the time go? It seems like yesterday.

In seven years we have done so much and I just wanted to tell him that I love him and wouldn't have done all of this with out him!

4 deployments (Kosovo, Iraq, Iraq, Iraq)
2 home purchases
2 cross country moves
7 states (resided in: New York, Virginia, Georgia, Arizona, Kansas, Washington, Kentucky)
1 dog (almost 7 years old, Quincy boy)
1 child (just turned 2 years old, JMS)
4 vehicles (Ford Explorer, VW Jetta, Ford 150, Chevy Trailblazer)
4 careers (Army TC, Army IN/MI, Retailer #1 and Retailer #2)
7 family Christmas get togethers
4 nephews (William, Drew, Eli, Joshua)
1 neice (Faith Ann)
3 vacation cruises (Carribbean, Hawaii, Baja Mexico)
too many friends to count and name without forgetting someone

If you want to contribute to what else we've accomplished in this time...please post a comment.

Pumpkin Bread

As requested by Kim: here is our pumpkin bread recipe.

Grease 2, 9" x 5" loaf pans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine: 3 3/4 c all purpose flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp ginger and 1/2 tsp ground cloves (DRY INGREDIENTS)

Cream: 2 sticks of margarine

Gradually add: 2 cups sugar

Blend in and beat well, 4 eggs

Add dry ingredients to 1 1/2 c pumpkin (alternating, end with dry ingredients)

Bake for 1 hour.

More Snow!!!

We had a southern teaser on Sunday...warm air...melted a good bit of the driveway and back yard. I actually drained the hot tub, cleaned it out, while JMS took his afternoon nap; and, I was wearing a short sleeve shirt. But, yesterday we acquired another 4 inches of snow. Now, the garden hose (that I used to drain the tub) is buried and frozen. So, I won't be refilling the hot tub anytime soon. It always is my luck too. I did quite a bit of manual labor in Cincinnati on Friday and Monday to assist in setting up a new store. So, when I got home I naturally wanted to soak my sore muscles...not going to happen. Unless I want to sit in an empty tub and freeze my muscles in snow. :)

I guess I'll count my blessings. My parents got 9 inches of snow. No thank you.