These are a few of A's favorite things!

I got this idea from my friend Jaime's blog (thanks Jaime!!) and I thought it was a great idea to record some of Anderson's favorite things at this age.  I have a running list in my head of things that have been his favorites--trains, Lightning McQueen, coloring, Buzz Lightyear--and things that have been his least favorite--going barefoot, loud noises, getting shots, turtlenecks--but I think it's a better idea to actually list them out so we can look back and see how it compares a year or so from now. 

Anderson, Age 6--Favorite Things
star wars (R2D2 specifically)
dragons
robots
legos
guns/blasters
playing the Wii (this is VERY limited, so it's a big deal)
family movie night
reading chapter books with Daddy at bedtime
playing in the snow
swimming

Least Favorite Things
eating anything that involves vegetables or meat
getting up in the morning (unless it's a weekend)
homework (yes, they give homework in 1st grade!)
cleaning up his legos
grocery shopping

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Happy Valentine's Day!

There are fast becoming one of our favorite Valentine's Day treats!  Anderson loves helping me roll out the dough and cut out the cookies, but his favorite part of all is licking the spoon after spreading the jam!  These were a hit last year in his kindergarten class.  I'm planning on making these today.  Yum!

Valentine's Day Tarts

1 cup butter (2 sticks) softened

1 ½ cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Mix dry ingredients and add to butter mixture.  Mix well.

Refrigerate overnight.

Roll out very thin and cut into shapes.

Bake at 350* for 12 minutes or until edges begin to brown.

** to make into tarts-- roll out a bottom and a top for each cookie.  The top should have a hole in the center if possible.  Spread seedless jam on the bottom cookie, and cover with the top.  Sprinkle with confectioners sugar before serving.

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From the Pantry

In our new house we have a huge pantry.  The biggest of any house we've lived in.  And, somehow, we've managed to fill it up completely.  I like to use coupons and stock up on items when they are on sale, and I also like to stay "one up" on items we use frequently. 

We also have a chest freezer full of beef, chicken, sausage, and bread.  Every year we buy a 1/4 cow, and I've stocked up on organic chicken and sausage at the farmers market/organic section of Wegmans.  I also buy loaves of Wegmans whole wheat bread by the dozen because it's A) cheaper at $1.69/loaf AND B) doesn't have any HFCS.  Those of you who are in the know, it's very hard to find bread made w/o HFCS that doesn't cost a lot.  So I stock up.  Anderson takes a sandwich everyday to school so we go through a lot of bread.  And, we also have our freezer in the kitchen where I keep lots of frozen veggies, and our freezer in the basement for additional freezer items. 

So I was sitting here today doing a little meal planning--my least favorite chore--and I kept coming up with recipes that required me to go to the store for an ingredient or two.  And I thought to myself...WHY?  I have a pantry and multiple freezers full of food, why do I need to go to the store?  So I've decided to challenge myself--for the rest of the month I am going to try and not go to the grocery store, with the exception of for things like milk, eggs, yogurt (a MUST for Anderson)...stuff that we will definitely run out of in the span of the next 2-3 weeks.   I'm hoping to spend less than $50 from now until Feb 28th. 

I'm also adding another dimension to this challenge.  I'm leaving for Italy on the 24th, so I'm planning on making some meals ahead of time for my family while I am gone.  It will be easier for David to just defrost something that's ready to go since he'll be working full time AND taking care of Anderson.  I mean, I wish someone would do that for me!  LOL  But I'm going to try and do ALL of this using what I already have here at home.  Wish me luck, I'll let you know how it turns out.

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Decking the Walls

Now that all of the hustle bustle of the holiday season is far behind us we're REALLY starting to settle in here in Ohio.  Anderson is making some new friends, David is loving his job, and I'm starting to learn my way around without the aid of the GPS feature on my phone (though there have been several times that I dig my phone out to help me find my way home). 

We had only been in our new house for about a month before it was time to decorate for Christmas.  So we didn't bother putting any pictures on the walls.  Now that the tree is down and the decorations are packed away we've started hanging!  Some of our pictures and artwork have been boxed up since we moved from FL to NY in 2006!  Our house in NY didn't have a ton of wall space, so we were very limited in what we could hang up.  I am loving seeing our favorite pictures and artwork again!  And I found a whole box of empty gallery-style frames that I bought and forgot about, so I have a lot more to hang up once I decide what pictures to print. 

David and I decided when we first moved in together that we only wanted pictures and artwork that were very personal to us to hang on our walls.  We don't have any mass produced artwork that you might buy in a store at the mall or at Bed Bath and Beyond.  We have the normal wedding photos and family pictures, of course, but if we buy a piece of artwork or a photograph it HAS to be significant--either we've traveled there, or we know the artist, or it has something to do with one of our families history...you get the idea. 

The artwork that we've just hung up includes:

David bought me this watercolor for our first anniversary.  It's of Waterford Castle in Ireland.  We stayed here during our honeymoon.    

This is an old painting my dad found of the Phelps Mansion in Binghamton, NY.  The mansion is where we had our wedding reception in 2002. 

a collage of preserved leaves done by a local (upstate NY) artisan.  Fall is my favorite season.

a fine art print of a gazebo from Rehoboth Beach, where I went on vacation as a child, and where we've recently started going again with my whole family.  We pass this gazebo on our daily early morning bike rides.

 

A black and white photo, again of Rehoboth Beach, that is numbered and signed by the photographer.  It's called "Waiting for Summer".  In the summer, when we're there, those benches line the boardwalk and we've eaten many an ice cream cone at night while watching the hustle bustle of the boardwalk.  Rarely are they empty like it is in this picture. 

A panoramic photo of Niagara Falls that was my grandmother's.  My mom's family is from Niagara Falls, and that is the first place that David and I went on vacation together when we were dating. 

My wedding gift to David--a watercolor painting of our Family Tree, done by a Panama City artist when we lived in FL.  The houses are our "ancestors" and the paths lead down to "our" house at the bottom. 

A framed photo that was given to me when I left my first job to move to FL with David.  My boss did some photography on the side and he framed a picture that he had taken in Ithaca, NY

A watercolor painting that I bought when I was in Canada.  It's a painting of a ship, and it reminded me of David because he loves ALL things that involve water and boats.  Next to it is a painting by a local Panama City artist given to us by our best friends in FL--Jennifer and Bill--for our wedding anniversary

This isn't a painting/artwork, but it's something sentimental that I LOVE.  When Anderson was born I had his ultrasound picture, first footprints, birth announcement, and his White House Welcome all framed for him.  I like having these on the wall rather than in a baby book that no one ever sees. 

This isn't everything, but they are some of my favorites.  We have several pieces still to hang, and I'm really looking forward to getting some updated photos on the walls as well.  Plus, we have some upcoming trips and I'm hopeful that I'll take some good shots that I can frame and hang.  I love taking pictures, but I'm way better at taking photos of people...not so great with the landscapes!

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