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!