Friday, May 31, 2013

Romeo And Juliet

I'm not sure how many times I've read Romeo and Juliet - more times than Leisy would ever like me to admit.  I picked it up again over my vacation and couldn't put it down.  I get sucked in from the start:

Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene...

And it's all downhill from there.  I think Shakespeare is a master at using a wide variety of emotion, comedy and fantastic poetry to set the scene and establish characters. And then one thing happens that sets events in motion to unravel everything he took such care to establish.  I was excited to see a preview of a new version coming out this Summer!!  Who wants to see it with me?  I can guarantee Leisy will not be as excited as I am.



Sunday, May 26, 2013

Conga!!

The boys can't get enough of Metta.  They love her and play well with her.  Sometimes too much and they drive miss Metta bonkers!  Zeb, for whatever reason, decided Metta should start a conga line.  Ike joined right in and they laughed and laughed.  (And ignored mom who wanted everyone in the car).


Why does Ike have a bike helmet on?

Everyone knows how Leisy can't pass up a yard sale.  She has uncanny sense to spot great deals and has saved us a ton of money buying things second hand.  The other day she found unopened bike helmets for the boys for really cheap and Ike was in heaven!  He put it on right when he got home, rode his little scooter down the driveway like he was invincible, and refused to take it off.  He went to a soccer game wearing the helmet and people kept asking what happened to his head.  He even asked to sleep in it.  

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Dairy Queen

For the final night of my vacation I celebrated by taking the boys out for ice cream.  They were so excited to go out with just me and they LOVE ice cream.  Ike just wanted a big cone and couldn't have been more excited when he got this:


Zeb looked on-line before going to DQ and had his heart set on the Oreo brownie earthquake sundae!  I relented and he was the happiest little boy in the world.  I have really good kids and they need to be spoiled rewarded now and again!

Monday, May 20, 2013

Columbus Zoo

Our trip to the Columbus Zoo was a blast!  The kids had a great time.  They were exhausted when we left because we had to see every inch of the place and get our money's worth.  It did, however, remind me why I'm nervous to take our kids to Disney.  It was a lot of fun but there was some whining, complaining, a half tantrum, and one complete melt down.  Fine for the zoo, but that would be completely unacceptable at Disney; I would be tempted to leave a child behind.

Zeb was our navigator for the expedition - he loves to follow maps and keep us informed of what we will be seeing next.


I gave Zeb and Ike the camera and told them to take pictures of their favorite animals.  Ike can't keep his little fingers out of the shots but Zeb is getting quite good.  Here are some of my favorites:


Ike's:



Zeb's:


Zeb had these chimps going crazy for a little leaf.  He had the crowd of kids (and adults) laughing.  In typical Metta fashion she assumed they were all laughing at her.  She is our most social creature yet.  She loves attention, always waves and says hello to everyone.

The gibbons were hysterical.  We had to visit them twice when we heard them from across the zoo.  They were so loud!!  We were amazed with the size of their necks when they make that noise.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Food!

This past week I have been on vacation. It was a badly needed rest from work - I had a long winter with too many hours spent away from home. With Zeb still in school and a recent loss of a bunch of money (for plane tickets to Utah), we decided not to do anything too big for my vacation. We decided to stick around Dayton and relax and find a few fun things to do.

My favorite thing about vacations is really good food! So for my stay-cation I decided to make a bunch of my favorite foods. I have lately been into trying new recipes and making things from scratch - no boxes, no mixes, no pre-prepared stuff. I started the week with those mini-German pancakes which were easy and delicious. I've also made:

Alice Spring Chicken - almost as good as Outback's - chicken, bacon and cheese baked and drizzled in amazingly sweet honey mustard.  I could eat the sauce by the spoonful (and I'm almost certain Leisy did).

Incredible cheddar scalloped potatoes - I don't remember eating REAL scalloped potatoes. Mom correct me if I'm wrong, but I can only recall eating packaged scalloped potatoes growing up.  They definitely weren't a staple food at my house and I haven't made scalloped potatoes since I've been married.  That will change for sure!!  These thinly sliced potatoes in a creamy homemade cheddar cheese sauce were to die for.  I'm a fan of any recipe that begins with a rue.

I've almost mastered my chicken tikka masala recipe.  Where has Indian food been my whole life?!?  I constantly crave good Indian food but it's so expensive!  I have been trying out different recipes and with Leisy's homemade naan we can pull off a decent restaurant quality Indian meal to stave off my need to drop a ton of money at a restaurant (which gives me more to spend on sushi)!

Homemade macaroni and cheese.  So much better than the boxed kind.  The ultimate southern comfort food.  Paired with a fresh salad with tons of vegetables makes one feel a touch less guilty about being so indulgent in the cheesy goodness.

Brownies - I'm not sure why I've never ventured away from boxed mixes.  I have a few cookie recipes memorized that I can throw together quickly.  Zeb always begs for Dad's "secret recipe cookies".  So why not a go-to brownie recipe for when you need something sweet on a Sunday afternoon - or any afternoon??  I found my go-to recipe that I've already made a second time this week!

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Mother's Day


 Zeb was so excited for Mother's Day.  He frequently reminds me that the true meaning of any holiday is to give (his own birthday not excluded).  My mother-in-law sent a package to Leisy for mother's day with the warning "for Zeb's eyes only" on it.  Zeb took the liberty to hide the package from Leisy and bring it out the night before.  When I told him we could wrap the presents together he reminded me - "this package is for my eyes only".  I had to pretend to wrap the presents with my eyes closed - thanks Annie.  

This Mother's Day I actually succeeded in getting Leisy breakfast-in-bed BEFORE she got out of bed.  I never seem to wake up and get breakfast ready before she gets out of bed on these special days.  I made mini german pancakes with triple berry sauce and cool whip.  They were quite tasty if I do say so myself! 


I had Zeb and Ike make Mom-ster day cards.  Cards with home made monsters that open and close their mouths when the card is opened and closed.  They got way carried away in creativity.  Zeb added both blood and snot to his.  Lovely.  Nothing says "I love Mom!" like blood and snot.  Right?