Chinese New Year

Xin Nian Kuai Le
新年快乐

Happy Chinese New Year

This is the Year of the Hare - or as Emi calls it: Happy Chinese Bunny Year!

Since the first day was the day after Emi's birthday, we decided to do our celebrating this weekend. We never did get to putting out decorations, but that's okay, what's important is family and spending time together as one. We had such fun making our meal, and it's a memory I will cherish.

Jeff did the fish (turned out amazing), I tossed long, curly (for Emi) noodles into a pot, and Emi and I made the dumplings - both pork AND chocolate! (Any guesses as to Emi's fav?) Egg rolls were planned, but we decided we had more than enough food, especially because Emi thought she also needed peas - so those are on hold. We couldn't find good (or even so-so) wrappers anyway, so while Emi is in school on Tuesday I will zip over to the (tiny) Asian grocery store and pick up the GOOD ones! We think homemade egg rolls for dinner on Tuesday sounds wonderful. I might even pick up more fish!

We had our dinner, a few fireworks (luckily legal year 'round in SC) and Emi received her red envelope containing new dollar bills and chocolate coins. Needless to say, the coins were the big hit. A very nice celebration, and yet another solid start to a new tradition to our household.


Here is a link to our menu (with recipes): Chinese New Year

And now, photos!

Pork Dumplings:

Chocolate Won Tons:

Dinner:

Dessert!

These were fun, pretty easy and worth EVERY moment of prep.
We all liked them, which is unusual for us.

For those interested, here is Wikipedia's take on Chinese New Year.

17 Years - Amazing!

I posted this this morning on FaceBook, then realized Jeff would never see it. A FB'er, he's not. So, it's here too ... I wonder how many days will go before he sees it?


Happy 17 years of wedded bliss to the most patient man on the planet. I'd do it all over again! I love you! ♥

Photo taken at 1000 Islands, Gananoque, Ontario, Canada.

Virginia and North Carolina

We are planning a trip next week to see Grandma (Jeff's mom), Aunt Mary (his sister) and Drew (his son and more importantly to Emi ... big brother!). We are going to drive all day Tuesday, spend Wednesday, Thursday and half of Friday in Virginia. Then we are going to drive to Kanopolis (about 30 miles north of Charlotte, NC). Home on Sunday.

So, here's the question - anyone in the Orange, VA area that would like to get together for a play date on either Wednesday or Thursday for a couple of hours. I know there is no way (from past experience) that Emi will be able to stay (sit) 2.5 days in a nursing home room without going stir crazy. If no one is available (I realize it's during the week AND during work hours that I am looking for) ... any suggestions for things to do that would interest a 3 year old? Any playgrounds, etc? I don't really know the area well as we haven't usually spent a lot of time in 'greater' Orange. Previously when we visited we were out at the homesite - more like Louisa County than Orange (on/near Lake Anna - if anyone is familiar with the area).

Also, anyone in the greater Charlotte area that would like to get together on Saturday for a couple of hours. Same idea, play date - park? playground? I am thinking that a little bit of Emi following her idol (Drew) goes a long way. That maybe dad and son would like some talk time without the three year old butting in and crawling all over big brother. Also, same thing - ideas welcome for things to do if no one is available for a play date.

Feel free to email me if that's easier: kiy @ inbox (dot) com

Lots of adult and car time on this trip and looking for Emi things to do.

Project 365 - Drat

So I missed a few days and then got disheartened. It's not that I lost interest, I was just bummed that I couldn't keep it going more than what, eleven days? Gesh. That said, I still took the pictures most days - using a mix of my cell phone and cute little (new - thanks honey!) pocket camera. It is (one of many) of my goals tomorrow to get them off both and posted here. I am also going to attempt to restart it. We'll see. I may lift an idea from quite a few others: take a picture a day but post it once a week. Project 52, if you will. We shall see.

So, what's been going on this last week? Not much. Unpacking, but not near as much as I should. Instead ... I've been stitching! Oh gosh, I've missed it so. When we first came home with Emi there just wasn't the time. I put it away, hoping to return to it soon. Then the big move, or rather the big wait to move. I did start a project last summer that was supposed to be a wedding gift and then we got our travel dates to South Carolina! Eeps. Yeah, that gift didn't get done. However, since Christmas I have been stitching up a storm on it and I am SO DARNED HAPPY! It's almost done, maybe another week or so at the rate I am currently stitching. As soon as it's mailed (ha - and received) I will post the picture. I am quite pleased with the way it's turning out. I have also found a new stitching shop (well, new to me) and they have twice monthly get togethers. I have already been once! They are a great group and I look forward to more stitching with them.

So, that's about it. Nothing earth shattering, but I am again finding my happy place. I can't believe how much I missed stitching. I just need to find a balance between that and unpacking (oh, and laundry, the house, cooking and groceries, and .... Jeff & Emi!).

A Brand New Year

Well, 2009 has come and gone. For us, it's been a year of big changes, and small. I've documented little, and wanted to document it all. Ah well.

I am making some resolutions this year, here are some of the more typical ones:

1. Lose weight
2. Get more exercise
3. Start Emi's lifebook
4. Restart Emi's 100 Good Wishes Quilt
5. Unpack ALL the boxes - WOW!
6. Organize the house
7. Etc :)

Here are my special ones for the year:

1. Be a better wife
2. Be a better mama
3. Be a better daughter
4. Be a better friend
5. Be a better blogger

Not that I am 'a bad' on any of those, just want to 'be better'. More patient, more caring, more ... well, more. The blogging thing, heck, if I only posted once a month that would be better! But I still aim to catch this up as I don't want all the details of the last half of the year to get lost in my memory banks.

So, dear readers, I hope your holidays were merry and bright, filled with special memories, and that you had loved ones near you or thinking of you.

Bullets and a Break

Yeah, I'm behind. So very behind. But, if you could see this place -literally covered in boxes- it would be understood. I'd take pic's but at this point there is no way to get them from the camera to the computer. Oh, and the computer .... is a shared laptop at the moment.

Here's what's being going on, in cheat form:

• Finally (after much delay), closed on the house on November 19th
• Actually got possession of the house (and the keys) mid-day on the 20th
• My folks had driven down from Michigan (on the 17th - the day we were *supposed* to close) to help with the move out from the temp apartment and painting
• Painting started three minutes after unlocking the front door
• (Yeah, new house - already completely painted, but I was too cheap to pay the exorbitant $$$$ the builder wanted to change paint colors on two room. So, we - or rather dad with taping help from mom - painted. I Emi wrangled. Tell me who had the easier job? Emi wanted to HELP!)
• New bed was delivered the afternoon of the 21st
• We 'camped' in our new house with the new bed, Emi's tent and a coffee maker that evening
• And never really moved back to the apartment (that I hated, and still do)
• Painting finished the 21st
• My folks left the 22nd, so they could host Thanksgiving dinner at their house (1.5 day drive - quick bake and cook, got everything done in time!)
• We continued to move things over from the apartment Sunday and Monday
• Tuesday our household goods arrived {main shipment of about a gazillion boxes, our furniture and Emi's toys (let's get real, THE most important of the stuff)}
• The rest of the week was spent finding stuff, unpacking and trying to decide where to put everything
• Needless to say, it still seems like we have a gazillion boxes - and I've unpacked a ton!
• Thanksgiving, Emi and I went back to the apartment (we had it through Friday, even though we weren't technically there - more like in and out, getting our stuff and cleaning)
• We watched the Macy's parade (she loved it!) and then Jeff picked us up to go to lunch/dinner
• Yes, we went out - I couldn't find a thing in which to make Thanksgiving dinner IN! Next year I will do better. Promise.
• And that leads us to this week: more unpacking, more putting away, more finding treasures almost forgotten
• Emi has loved and exclaimed over finding her things in boxes
• Hers were the first to be opened!
• This is the LAST time we are moving - no, really, I mean it this time
• I love our house - I love it even more than our apartment in Japan (which was my fav home up to this point)
• As soon as Jeff has the office set up, and all the computers hooked up and such I will have to take a photo tour of our house, boxes and all
• Until then, happy blogging my friends
• Back, probably after the first of the year - unless I get this place pulled together before then (don't hold your breath!)

Oh, here are a few (really bad) photos I took of the house with the BlackBerry while they were still building it, but mostly finished. Yikes, they are back. Feel free to look away.

(1) The great room, fireplace, door to Emi and Max's new domain (aka: the backyard)
(2) The light over the dining room table, no reason for the pic except that I love love love this light

(3) My second most fav thing in the house, and the light that had me completely changing
all the other lighting I had already chosen. Yeah, the gal at the lighting place
must have loved me - but so worth it. Love it. (Task light over the kitchen sink.)
(4) My most fav thing in the house (the kidlet, not the tub - although the tub rocks also)
(Note: I am pretty fond of Jeff too!)


(5) Kitchen looking to eat-in area
(6) Kitchen (sans appliances) looking to formal dining room that we turned
into Emi's second fav spot in the house (after the backyard): her playroom


More pics coming, hopefully soon. Stay tuned!

Halloween

So, a week late but thought I should post "What We Did for Halloween". I've read all the cute posts, seen all the cute pictures on the blogs and thought I should share. Except.

• Emi didn't go trick-or-treating
• Emi didn't wear a costume
• Emi handed out candy to exactly ZERO kids*

Yeah, Halloween wasn't thought out very well this year. We completely blew it. We did, however, manage to buy Mama something totally outrageous and awesome.

2010 Honda CRV.
Oh, baby.

Not the greatest picture, but I will get more soon (ha, trust me on that). Jeff wanted a Prius, or even an Insight. I wanted to rock and roll, have a hatch back of some kind (yes, both of those do have one) and sit up a bit higher. This is totally a fun, we don't need something this big, kind of thing. There is zero reason for this, except I wanted it. (smile)

Poor Jeff.

But, ooooh, I am loving it. Well, except that we drove up to Drew's yesterday. 3/4 of a tank of gas later ... ouch. But it was worth the drive, Emi loved seeing Drew (she woke up yesterday at SIX am, stop laughing mom, and her first word was .... DEW?!). Yeah, there's some hero worship going on there. Helps when he lives 2.5 hours away and never has to say no to her. No wonder she thinks he's so wonderful!

So, how does this all tie into Halloween? This is what we did for five hours on Halloween afternoon. We missed the first wave of trick-or-treaters (the cute ones that Emi and I would have enjoyed - we put Jeff on door duty after our first attempt).

We needed to go back on Sunday to pick up Mama's Sweet Ride. So while Jeff was moving Emi's car seat from the Ford to the Honda, I needed something for Emi to do. While she and I were transferring stuff from one car to the other, we came across my umbrella. That was the end of Emi's help. But, she had a complete blast and I took about 40-50 pictures!

Special Announcement: The dealership is closed on Sundays so we had the place to ourselves (that tidbit is for anyone about to give me grief for allowing her to run around in the parking lot).

Just running around, chasing the wind-blown umbrella

Hiding Emi, love the toes ... love her peeking out!

My favorite

THANKS HONEY!!!



*Only because the first kid to knock on the door scared the @&%# outta her. Maybe if kids are old enough to dress up that scary, they are too old to be out? It was pretty scary, and bloody. I didn't blame her.

On the road ...

Well, forgot to take a picture yesterday before departure, will try to remember to get one today. Our little car is packed to the gills, holding more than it's ever held before. Every time we open the trunk it's best to jump back as you never know what's going to fall out! Looking at our car, I feel like the Clampett's!

Emi did so-so yesterday. I do feel that part of it is that we are so jam packed. She enjoyed her dvd's, of course, and played quite a bit with her new Aqua-Doodle (many thanks to Magi for that tip! --- BTW, if you haven't yet read her post on the whole 'Obama talking to the students debate' it's worth the read. She said everything I was thinking, and more). The trooper of the trip has been Max. Never really a car-loving dog, he's been pretty resigned to riding. He's done remarkably well in the hotel rooms and just hanging out with us. Poor ol' guy, he's probably getting used to his crazy people, moving all the time. I didn't even say to him this time that this was the last time. I keep saying that to him and then, poof, we move again. We are hoping, though, that this really is it.

We did Washington, Oregon and Idaho yesterday. Goal today is to finish Idaho (we are in Boise) and get into Utah. We have about another 300 miles of Idaho yet to do and only about 100 miles of Utah. Would be nice to get them both done today, but we will see how it goes.

If I can figure out the new Blackberry and remote posting, I will try to get some pictures up later.

Cheers!

Goodbye, Hello

The time has, finally, come that I feel safe in sharing our news. I've alluded to this a couple of times when I thought the time was quite near, not meaning to dangle. I've had emails and comments asking (1) if I am pregnant (it would seriously take an act of God), (2) are we adopting again (nope, Emi was our first and last, and really ... how could perfection be duplicated -- no pressure Emi, lol!), and (3) well, there is no three - those were the guesses.

What actually is happening is that we are moving. To South Carolina (anyone out there in Aiken, SC or Augusta, GA area? if so, drop me a line?!).

We have lived here two years and while we love it, we've come to realize that this is the wrong side of the States for us. Everyone we love is on the other side. Just to visit a grandparent takes at least a day of flying, and visiting friends is an annual thing, at best. We decided last summer that we needed to make a move. Jeff sent off applications and in February he was offered a job. And then, things started to drag out. I won't bore with the back and forth, but last week he finally got the official paperwork he had been waiting on. We can list the house (yikes, oh joy) and start the process of moving.

Jeff is still with the federal government, so while it's a job change, to them it's not. The really nice thing about this is that they move you (oh yeah, baby!). There is absolutely no way we would have moved so often if we had had to pack and move ourselves. The packers are due the week of September 7th, and we will be hitting the road on September 13th.

Hitting the road? Why yes, we were told that we were going to be driving. From Washington to South Carolina.

Yep, you read that right ... driving. Jeff, me, Emi (who will be 31 months) and Max (14 years and six pounds of car-hating Yorkie) in a really small car. Yeah, trip of a lifetime. Funny enough, I am looking forward to the drive. I think it will be fun, as long as we keep a sense of humor and realize that there will be good days and not-so-good days. We have a plan in place, but also know that we will have to punt from time to time. Emi and Max both can only take so long in a car. That is actually a good thing, as it will force Jeff and I to get out and walk around every couple of hours - something we are not good about doing for ourselves.

More details as we have them, just wanted to share our exciting news with everyone!

I was featured!

Okay, first off ... for those that get this in a reader format, yes I messed up and published this before writing my post. Blame it on this nasty spring cold I have, or the fact that I just hit the enter button instead of the tab. Both would be correct.


So Friday, on day I so needed it, I got a wonderful email. It was from Kirsty over at momedy. She is a new find for me, I can't even remember how I found her, but I see by her followers list, we have many bloggy friends in common. She does something called Featured Friday Follower. What she wrote about me was so sweet and kind. She gave me a smile on a day I didn't really have one. Kirsty, thank you, so very much!

Okay, so you ask why Kiy, who almost always has a smile, didn't have one? Couple of things. First, the above mentioned cold was just starting. I hate being sick (who doesn't?) and I was feeling sorry for myself. I kicked my own butt about that, whined a bit to Jeff (poor guy) and while I am still feeling totally crappy the boo-who-me is gone. I also finally made the decision to not take a trip I had been working on all week. I was going to take Emi on another train ride, to the Mall of America and the Minneapolis Zoo. We were going to splurge on a sleeper car and it was going to be fun fun fun. Sadly, I dithered too long and the only price I could (sorta) live with had us leaving Sunday (last) night. As it was then Friday, I didn't know if I could pull off the packing and scurrying around in time. Then the cold hit, so the decision was basically taken out of my hands. I still wanted to go, so was back to the poor-me. Gesh, what a whiner! lol

There is also something going on that I am not free to talk about yet, but will be resolved either way this week. It's been going on for the last two-plus months, but it's come to a head and the decision has been made. Once it's official, I will feel I can blog about it. But last week it was still a mess and it's been messing with me. Again, boo-who-Kiy. Snap out of it gal! Enough already!

Okay, I really am laughing at myself. I am feeling sorta better today and woke up with a whole new attitude. Also, if you are not a regular reader of the Monday Musings, follow this link and read them! I have to say, the ones that I've had time to read so far really helped my mind-set. Positive happy thoughts, good vibes, wonderful quotes. I figure if they could help pull me out of my funk, maybe they could put a smile on someone elses face too!

Off to play with Miss Emi and simply, be. I need to remind myself that it's the simple things that bring the biggest joys. Watching her play makes my heart smile.

Happy Easter

Update: Some of the photos from today are finally up. I don't think I realized how fast Emi was moving, not as many clear photos as one would hope, but I guess that means she was having fun!

Happy Easter!

We had a delightful morning, sharing with Emi the fun of hunting eggs and baskets and goodies. Moments like this is what I was waiting for, what I was looking forward to, in raising a family.

It took some time for her to get the whole finding of the eggs (she had forgotten from last year). But after being lead to the first one or two and the excitement of the hunt caught on, she was tickled pink. Instead of carrying the empty basket along with her to collect the eggs she left it on the ottoman and would run to it to drop off her findings. A whirling dervish, caught up in the hunt. After finding them all, she then proceeded to open each, oohing and aahing (and a bit of sampling) of the goodies. She enjoyed the little paper book with the pencils and stickers, the necklace (love the bling) and the fingernail polish (I had forgotten I had this) that we will paint her toenails with later today for the very first time. The puzzle and the train were also huge hits, in fact she is right this minute playing with both. She has already rehid the eggs (for herself), and found them. Delighting again at the find.

It's been a wonderful, laid back morning. Exactly us, as we are laid back kind of folks.

I hope everyone had as wonderful a morning as we. Celebrating Easter and Spring in your own way.

Easter Basket & train ~ finding puzzle

Finding eggs and running them to the egg basket

Happy Birthday Daddy

We love you, lots and lots.

Catching up

Oh my, have I been lax in blogging this past week. I think it's this time of year. Yes, I am still whining about the cold, the gray, the yuck. The good news, the days are longer and it's not snowing. The bad, it's raining! Cats and dogs raining. But, if it was colder the amount of snow would be staggering. See, there's always a silver lining! (Did I mention the longer days? Sunshine? Well, when it's not raining.)


So, grab a nice cup of tea. It's time to catch-up!

We have had a few nice days here and there this past week. Every time we do Miss Emi and I scoot out of the house as fast as possible to enjoy it! One day last week we headed to our favorite park. They have a really nice toddler area and a super big kid area. Guess which area Emi likes to play in? Guess which one Mama does? Guess who won? No, I did! :)

This outing Emi finally conquered the swings! YAY EMI! Poor dear, last year they completely terrified her, she'd shake and tremble and reach for me the moment her cute little butt hit the seat. Now, while she's still nervous she wants to try it. Short periods of time, but still! I can gently push once or twice before it's time to get back down (and then, back in - over and over again). I am so proud of her. Emi also mastered the slide this past week. Little Miss Independent wants to climb up alone, fortunately these slides have a set of stairs instead of the traditional the ladder. She does want to hold hands going down, but I can already see that need waning. Danger Girl is looking for more adventure. I am looking for a hair color that will cover the gray for longer periods of time.

Needless to say, no photos of Emi in the swings as I needed both hands on her. But we will try to get Daddy to go with us, so one of us can snap some pics. Very cute. To hold folks over, here are some slide photos. (Oh, and before someone mentions it - yes, she has mittens/gloves. Yes, she wears them. When she wants to. That wasn't the day.)

We also moved Emi's kitchen into her bedroom. We had had it set up in the living room. Yes, we are odd but we actually have visions of having one room not be taken over by Emi. Silly of us! One evening last week, Emi made the whole family tea. Including Max. I think Max was hoping for cookies, and not the plastic kind that was offered. He was less than impressed.

Some fun moments from that evening (besides the hilarity of the whole tea party thing:

"Cheese!" (We have no idea where she learned that, we haven't started that yet!)

"What's on your pj's Emi?"

"Growl!" (I so wish I had thought to turn on the video for this, but who knew she'd do that? Jeff and I lost it, too funny!)

Story behind the cool pj's. My folks drove out from Michigan days after we received our referral for Emi (Sept 2007). They decided to make it a 'trip of a lifetime' and made quite a few stops. One was at Yellowstone and this is what they found for her. Finally, finally! She can wear it.

And now, one last hit of total sweetness:

My new fav picture of Miss Emi!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

Have anything fun planned? Romantic evening out? We don't have a whole lot planned. Jeff is taking a load of stuff to the hazardous materials recycling place (old paint, etc). I am going to clean Emi's room. Yep, romance is alive and well here! I still don't know what I am going to make for dinner as I forgot to take the meat out of the freezer (we were going to have Cinnamon Beef Noodles, sigh). I am seriously thinking of making Pasta with Creamy Pancetta-and-Pea Sauce though and I really want to make a nice dessert - I have something up my sleeve if I get the time but want it to be a surprise. If it works out, I will add it to my menu plan post on Monday. The pasta looks great and I really want to try it. Plus, except for the bacon and ham, Emi would eat it. I think Jeff and I would love it!

Yesterday Jeff brought home roses for me! They are simply beautiful but no, I have no picture (yet) to share. I have sort of misplaced the camera. Oh, I am sure it's around here somewhere but I can't seem to put my hands on it. (Shhhh, don't tell Jeff!)

We are going out to brunch at a local place tomorrow, so our Valentine's Day will continue for another day. Added bonus of having President's Day on Monday, so it's a three day weekend. Always a plus. If the weather turns nice, maybe we can get outside and go for a walk. Emi loves that!

We aren't planning any special dinner/date thing for Jeff and I again this year. We had fourteen very long years before Emi. The next few will be family celebrations. All too soon, it will be time for Emi to be having her own things to do on this day so spending the day as a family is a good thing. Besides, Emi's bedtime is 8 pm, plenty of time for us then. :)

Have a wonderful day everyone!

P.S. Odd, I hit publish this morning and it didn't. Operator error, I am sure.

My Funny Valentine

Update: I forgot to add the photos! See below.


Kristin over at We are THAT Family is hosting a carnival this week. Not just any old carnival either, one that we get to show the entire world (or in my case, the five or six folks that regularly read my blog) how much we love them. Brag-On-Our-Hubby-Days, you might say.

I did a small, short prelude to that in my menu plan this week. I purposely kept that short as I didn't want to say it all there, I wanted it all HERE!

So, watch out gals, here it comes. And yes, he's all mine. Hands off. :)

Jeff is that quietly sweet, handsome guy that most gals would pass over in a crowded room (silly women). He is gentle and caring and sweet and compassionate and tender and shows me, every day, how much he loves me. I am lucky, as he also holds my hand out in public, brings/sends me flowers (sometimes for no reason!), tells me he loves me and shows me. He is a wonderful father to his son and a wonderful daddy to our daughter.

He does little things that mean so much like quietly unloading the dishwasher when I am in the other part of the house or finishing the laundry that's still in the dryer because Emi needed me and I forgot it was in there. Things that May seem so little, but mean so much. It means, he's paying attention. He knows I need something and looks to see what he can do to help.

I don't know what I did in my previous lives to deserve him, but I don't take any day for granted. Yep, I kissed a ton of toads on my way to this great man. He's mine, forever.

The story I want to share is one of a funny Valentine's Day. We've done the over-the-top romantic dinners, the quiet nights at home, the he-plans or she-plans. This was one of the he-plans. We were living in Japan at the time, he was going to stop on his way home and find something to toss on the grill. Anything, we weren't fussy (well, I had one rule ... it couldn't be moving, with Jeff it's good to point that out). We were just in need of a quiet night at home, the two of us. I was making sides, he was going to grill. I am not sure what was planned after (before that, gals!), but it probably included watching a chick flick of some kind or maybe some computer game time knowing us. This is what he came home with that evening:

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you. Yes, that really is a pork chop butterflied so that it opened in the shape of a heart. Only in Japan, folks, only in Japan. We still talk about that dinner, we laugh, we remember. Japan was a special place for the two of us. We loved living in Japan and really embraced it as much as we possibly could. And the little things, like the heart shaped pork chop, really made it for us. We loved all those funky little things that were so different from living in the States.

Someday I will blog about how we met, if he lets me. But this is a good memory and I wanted to share.

Sweetheart, I honestly do love you more today than the day we said I do!

December 2007

December 2008

Menu Plan (Feb 9 - 14)

In honor of Valentine's Day (reminder: next Saturday), I am doing a special Friends Week. This is a week full of recipes that I have been given (or 'borrowed') from friends, some I have tried and some are new (the recipes, the friends are all old ... err, wait). I am not going to pick days, just list the recipes in no particular order). I haven't decided yet which meal will be on which day (hey, today I am going to be lucky to get this post done at all!) :)

Meals:

Chili with a Little Sass - this recipe is incredible and we always get a smile when we have it. For one thing, Barbara (Candy Hearts & Paper Flowers) posted it and I totally had to try it. For another thing, poor Jeff's life is filled with a little sass (both wife and child). I love Barbara's site. I rarely do what she has going on as, I will never ever have a love of housework (yikes, don't read this mom!) even though I love a neat, tidy and clean house. Keeping house is a chore to me, something to get done as quickly as possible. Barbara really cares about doing it well and right, I just want it done and forgotten about! However, I do think if I followed along on her daily ideas that maybe the house wouldn't be such a chore to me. Maybe. Some day.

Cinnamon-Beef Noodles - Gina (Olivia, Opinions & Occasions) shared this recipe with me. I have only made it the one time, but we loved it! I have been wanting to make it again, and this week is the perfect time. I am toying with saving this for Saturday night, as I want something special but not something that keeps me in the kitchen all day long. Gina and I met through the adoption of our two girls. Sadly, we were not in China at the same time but we have made a friendship that makes me *know* that we will meet someday! I love her sense of humor and I find the longer we know each other, the more in common we have. Head on over to her site, meet the ever-wonderful Olivia. She's a delight and her parents are just simply great people!

Toasted French Toast & Oven Poached Eggs - I've tried a variation of Tamy's (3 Sides of Crazy) french toast before (mainly, toasting the bread) but wanted to give the whole thing a whirl. This is the week. She has also raved on her baked eggs and I seriously have wanted to try them. I keep getting stuck at the bacon. Oh, I love bacon but not the mess. But, this once, I will make it and see how it goes (probably in the microwave, however). I can't remember exactly how I met Tamy. It was either from menu planning, or quite possibly, through Barbara. But we continue to chat in short emails (almost like IM'g without the, you know, IM!) and I have enjoyed getting to know her better.

Bison Burgers on the Grill - Two of my very best friends do not have blogs (hi Aunt M and Uncle R!). The she part of the couple doesn't like to cook all that much (although I hear that is changing a bit!), and he does but I am not sure he is a recipe kind of guy. But, one of my fondest memories is when we had cookouts at their home. He makes a mean ANYthing on the grill. No, really, he does. Their home feels like home, every time I walk in. Which, sadly, isn't as often as it used to be as we live on opposite ends of the country (working on that!). Their home continues to be one of my most fav places to be. I could spend hours on their back patio, drinking sweet tea, soaking up their wonderful landscaping, and chatting. Some friendships become family, this is one of those. In their honor we are having yummy bison burgers on the grill this week. We love them and while we have not had these burgers with this couple, I know they'd love them!

Billie Ruth's Catfish Parmesan - I am actually making this for a friend, rather than getting the recipe from a friend. That friend would be my very best friend, my husband. My life is richer for having him in it. I am happy, contented, loved and so very very lucky.

Pasta with Creamy Pancetta-and-Pea Sauce - Lythrum (Goblins in My Garden) shared this recipe with me several years ago. I keep wanting to make it but then forgetting about it. I found it again today when I was wandering through my recipes. Lythrum and I seemingly have very little in common, yet have a lasting friendship. We can go awhile without chatting (emailing) and then pick up like we talked yesterday. We are both (sorta) new moms learning our way, with our girls just about a year apart in age. My one big wish is that we lived closer, as I would love to have my backyard look a teensy bit like hers (okay, I'd love it if it looked a LOT like hers but I am just not willing to do what it takes!).



Extras:

Stuffed French Toast - Not everyone is lucky enough to call their mom, friend. I am. And I know it. This recipe is a memory trigger. It reminds me, of course, of my mom but also of one of Jeff and my first Christmases together. I have just recently started making it again for special occasions and we love it. It also is a hit with Miss Emi. My current plan is to make this Friday evening for Valentine's Day Breakfast. Mom and I talk, almost every day. Someone once asked us, separately, what we talked about. Everything and nothing. We have a special relationship that has formed into a friendship. I don't take this for granted, and neither does she. And no, it wasn't always like this. See above, Chili with a Little Sass. But I grew out of it, or rather the teen sass, the adult sass is here to stay. :)

Serdmom's Apple Crisp - Serdic (Tritely Banal) has many recipes (ginger sparklers!) but he tends to like to fuss more than I have time for these days (I'm told he is an *amazing* cook and his baking - ooh la la!). This is quick and easy, and I am not sure that I have ever told him I've made it (oops). Serdic is a friend that I made long ago, who also lives far away. He was there from day one when we started our paperchase for Miss Emi. He always had a shoulder, ear and heart to lean on when needed during that time. He has also been one of our biggest cheerleaders (yikes, visual, sorry - no short skirts were involved!) when it came down to 'do we stay in the program or give up'. Thankfully, we stayed in. Now, Miss Emi has an Uncle Serdic (and Aunt TheSinger @ Reports from the Dewey Decimal Zone!). They love her dearly, and we love them.


I have more recipes from other friends, but only so many days in a week. This was so much fun I think I will do it again! I hope you have enjoyed meeting my friends.

Don't forget to head on over to Laura's at I'm an Organizing Junkie for more MPM!