Happy Easter!

ALLELUIA!  HE IS RISEN!

(Bunny picture c/o Ryan.  He's obviously not the artist in the family.)

Easter Break

Today at noon is the official start of Clare's Easter break.  (I'm looking forward to not setting my alarm for a whole week...although Ellen might need a memo that it's spring break!)

So what to do with a week off of school?  Well, Clare recently asked me when we were going to start spring cleaning.  (A girl after my own heart!)  I also introduced her to magic erasers the other day and she was im-pressed.

We will also be getting out Easter decorations on Saturday.  And that includes my favorite/Ryan's least favorite of all of our holiday decor, the Easter egg tree I made in 3rd grade...

      
...I call it "vintage"...he calls it fug-ly.

Who's side are you on???  :)

Pasta Alla Caprese

I found this recipe on Andrea's blog awhile ago and my family loves it.  And *bonus* because it is meatless, so we have enjoyed it on Fridays this Lent.

Ingredients:

1 pound of pasta (original recipe calls for fusilli, but Andrea used rotini 

and I used macaroni the other night)

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves minced garlic

3 cups cherry tomatoes 

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn (I also omitted these the other night...

my 2012 basil plant is starting to come up!)

8 ounces mozzarella cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain pasta and reserve 1/2 of the cooking liquid.  Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper.  Smash the tomatoes with a fork as they cook.  Cook until tomatoes make a chunky sauce, about 4 minutes.  Add the tomato sauce to the pasta.  Sire in basil and mozzarella.  Add the reserved pasta water slowly until the pasta is moist.  Enjoy!

We have even enjoyed the leftovers chilled and served as a cold pasta salad.    

  

Easter Sweets

I thought I would share some of our favorite festive sweets from Easters past today.

Here are some of the different bunny treats I have made in recent years...

And we are definitely making these Resurrection Rolls again this year...they were yummy for breakfast Easter morning, and a great way to teach the resurrection story!

Are you baking anything special for Sunday?

Lenten & Easter Reflections...by Jude

I thought I would share some of my 3 year-old son's thoughts with you for Holy Week:

"So when you catch a fish it turns into a big chicken nugget to eat?"
"I don't like jellybeans because they are made from jellyfish."

"Mom, if you do that I will let you put 100 beans in the jar!"

Hope you have gotten a little more out of Lent this year...  


Have a good week!

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Happy Friday, and Happy Birthday!!!

In honor of my dad's birthday today, I will leave you for the weekend with the words he often used to holler out to us when he was leaving the house: 

"Love one another!"  

(A smart man, too, because there was some sibling rivalry that often resided in our home.)

Jude's Baptism, Father's Day 2008

Happy Birthday Dad!  Enjoy your day!  We love you!    

Recent Recipes

Jude and I found ourselves baking/cooking a lot this week.  Here are some of the things we have been cooking up...

1.  We had this chicken fajita recipe for dinner the other night.  (Can you say crock pot??)  It was very yummy.  Definitely being put on our dinner rotation.  

2.  With the warm temperatures we whipped up our first batch of the year of these earlier this week.

3.  Then we noticed the bananas weren't looking so great, so we doubled this recipe and made 1 big loaf of banana bread...that is already gone.  

4.  When the plague flu hit me and the flu meds made me sick, I couldn't even stomach my morning coffee.  (That's when you know you are sick!)  I still have a cup every few days, but have also been enjoying this smoothie on some mornings.

Have you tried any new recipes lately??

New Cleaner that Stinks...Literally.

I tried this homemade cleaner the other day after my older sister highly recommended it...and now I can only highly recommend it to you.  It was A-mazing!  

photo credit...I was too excited about this to stop and take my own.  

To make, heat 1/2 cup of vinegar in microwave for about 90 seconds.  Add 1/2 cup of regular dish soap.  (Any 1:1 ratio is fine.)  Pour into squirt bottle.  Spray anywhere you want to get rid of soap scum (I used this on my shower, including glass shower doors) and let sit for a few minutes.  Return and wipe down with a microfiber cloth (or I love using magic erasers).  Stand back and be amazed as your shower shines back at you.  I seriously kept going back to look in disbelief at the loveliness that was my clean shower.

Little elbow grease required...but you may need a nose plug as you work.  Worth it to me.

Here are some of my other favorite homemade cleaners:
Window Cleaner
Multi-purpose Cleaner
Laundry Detergent
Baby Wipes

Linking here.
todayscreativeblog.net

Calendar Decor

A few years ago we picked up a free religious art calendar at our parish.  It had some beautiful pictures in it and I saved a few of them hoping to frame them one day.

One of the pictures I saved was of St. Jude.  I thought it would be great to have framed in Jude's room.

I recently picked up a frame from Target with two 5x7 openings and cropped the picture from the calendar to fit on the one side.  

Then I printed out one of my favorite St. Jude quotes on card stock and added it on the other side:

"I encourage you to fight on for the faith which 

once and for all God has given to His people."

-Jude 1:3

It was inexpensive art for Jude's bedroom and he likes "sharing" his room with his patron saint.  

One of My Favorite Babysitters...

I will openly admit that I am guilty of using the TV as a babysitter for my 18 month-old.  But there are times during the day when I need to get something done and she needs to be distracted from me.

We found this DVD series at our library when Clare was a baby and all of our kids have loved them...and still do.  (Produced by Small Fry Productions.)  

They are 30 minute educational videos and instantly glue all 3 of my kids to the TV screen.  (Which also makes them perfect for long car trips.  They are something that will entertain the baby, and that the older kids are also fine watching.) 

So without further ado I highly recommend these DVDs!  The series includes: Colors, Shapes, Opposties, Letters, Numbers, Food Fun, Seasons, Animals, Sounds, and Head to Toe. 

Grandma B

with Clare, 2005

Tomorrow my paternal grandmother ("my dad's mom" as Jude would say) would have turned 89.  She passed away almost 6 years ago.

My grandma was a special lady, especially to her husband of 60 years, 9 children, and 28 grandchildren.  I hope to be the kind of grandmother she was when I have grandchildren of my own.  But right now I am thankful for the special memories I have of her.

All of her grandchildren remember her ritual hand washing performed anytime before a meal or snack was served.  Grandma would take you into the bathroom to wash your hands.  She filled the sink with warm sudsy water and would scrub your hands with a bar of Dove soap while you stood on the step stool.  It was practically a treat.  

My grandma always noticed the details.  If your picture was in the local paper, you could be guaranteed it would be hanging on her refrigerator the next time you stopped by.  (Most likely your name would be highlighted and your face circled.)  If you had a new haircut, it was the first thing she noticed and complimented.

Many times she would take you out for such small, yet important events...haircuts, buying a new dress for an uncle's wedding, shopping for a new winter coat.  (She always wanted one long enough to cover our rear ends...saying we would be warmer that way.)

My grandmother had a big heart and not just because it overflowed with love for her family and friends.  She always made you feel like you were especially loved.  There were many times someone would be sick with the flu or a cold, or even simply "just because" and she would drop by with a bag of goodies.  Food brought over usually including a molded jello with fruit inside.

She was a strong Irish woman.  My grandma raised 6 sons and I often find myself asking for her guidance when I loose patience with my one son.

My grandmother was deemed to have the "prettiest eyes" her senior year of high school.  My children were lucky to inherit that trait from her.

I know her eyes are smiling down on us today.  

 

First Day of Spring

Reasons I'm glad spring is officially here (and hoping flu season is out):

6 ear infections

5th disease

4 stomach flus

3 diarrhea bugs

1 fever bug 

1 case of influenza

common colds

hacking coughs

runny noses

Happy Spring!

March Madness

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For the past couple of years my dad has organized a bracket tournament between my parents, my siblings, and their spouses.  So last week we received the official Bracketball 2012 email:

Everyone -- 
Your completed brackets need to be turned in (hard copy, or email version) by Thursday, March 15, 12 noon to be eligible for first prize.  (Rules: 1 point per win, irrespective of round.) 

The reigning champion is my brother-in-law Michael...and I believe he is currently in the lead this year.  This might just prove that my family has no athletic ability on or off the court!

But we do have a lot of fun playing!      

New Pair of Jeans

In my child-bearing years I have worn a wide range of sizes.  And I have learned not to get rid of certain clothes, especially jeans, because they will eventually fit again.

I really liked the way this particular pair of jeans fit me (especially the length), but the color was a bit dated/lacking/faded.  So I bought some "denim blue" Rit dye and hoped I wouldn't regret the outcome.    

  And I'm happy to say the end result turned out great...perfect for spring!

These jeans now remind me of some of the bright spring/summer 

colors popping up at Old Navy and Loft.  

Linking here. 

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