I just scored a seemingly yummy recipe from AJ – my awesome aunt. I cannot wait to try it, but being as though I will be out of town this weekend, I thought I’d post it here for anyone who wants to try it…
ratatouille recipe
- Heat 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil in large pan over medium high heat
- Add Onion and garlic — cook, stirring 5 minutes or until onion is tender
- Add all the chopped veggies (I added as I chopped) and cook, stirring for another 5 or so minutes. Season with Salt and Pepper to taste.
- Add Vegetable broth and Marinara and mix well.
- Transfer to a baking dish, sprayed with Pam
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes
- sprinkle top with 4-6 oz low-fat mozzarella cheese
- bake another 15 minutes
I just left school at lunch to get our cat some cat food (so she doesn’t starve over the weekend while we are in Chicago.) On Fridays, a bunch of us order lunch out, and we rotate who treats, so we’re not always paying each week. My friend ordered Chinese food today… it is delicious! (Just thought I’d throw that in as I am eating it right now…) Anyway, I digress…
While I was out running errands, I decided to stop at Creative Kid Stuff in Maple Grove to get my nephew a cool 1st birthday gift. (I’m always trying to be the cool auntie!) Holy Crap! Have you been to this store? I. love. it.
I bought some of Punky’s birthday gifts there a few weeks ago, so I knew I’d score big today when I went!
Man.
I
heart
this
store!
This is what I originally bought for my little nephew…
But it bothered me that it says ages 2 and up…
I learned today that there is latex in the red fuzzy stuff, so if kids are drooling or putting things in their mouth still, this would not be a good idea. So, I will save this for another occasion.
I searched around and found this super cute “Silly Soft Seating.” I bought the green one.
How incredibly cute is that?!?
Then, Punky needs a gift to give his little cousin, so I found these absolutely nifty (who uses that word anymore?) vehicles (which are dishwasher safe!) and disposable car maps. How awesome are those?
Awesome.
Can’t wait to give them to the little birthday boy tomorrow!
So, the holidays are coming. I guess as much as I hope for them to stay away a little longer, they never listen to me.
Along with the holidays…lots of family time, food, parties…and presents.
Presents.
I have been thinking a bit more deeply this year about presents. In fact, I am even thinking a bit more about what goes on my own Christmas list this year. Raise your hand if your house isn’t already covered with toys, books, knick knacks, gadgets and gizmos. First, where on God’s green earth can any more fit?!?!?
So, what to do? Hmmmmmmmmm.
I have been trying to think practical, yet needed or wanted. My goal this year…organization. For example, I would love any of these Store In Style cubes or Making Memories Embellishment Center from Archiver’s, Michaels, etc. IN fact, I wouldn’t even mind gift cards so I could use the 40% off coupons and make the money for further! I have so many ideas, and projects I’d like to do, but my stuff is so unorganized and so scattered throughout the basement, I can’t do it! Just think what I could produce if it were all right there!
The Store In Style cubes
Making Memories Embellishment Center
the Clip-It-Up!
Seriously. I am all about getting stuff organized.
But, you know what is phenomenal?
Minneapolis now has
The Container Store! F.i.n.a.l.l.y!
Imagine what I could do with things from there?!?!?
Organization Wish List 2009
- Punky’s closet
- My Closet
- Entryway Closet
- Laundry Room ideas
- Scrapping Area in Basement
- Toy Area in Basement
Really. These are things I really wish for this Christmas season. Organization. Period. I am drowning in the chaos.
Ok, you got me, that can’t be all I want, right? 
I also would love to have…
- a new computer (ours runs on 32 G! Talk about archaic!). A new computer would let me use my digital scrapping software and my photo editing software! Right now, I can’t run either!) (This would be if Santa had NO financial worries for Christmas gifts!)
- a mommy necklace (I’d even like it more if I would get pregnant soon and be able to add more names!!!) (See Lisa Leonard Designs)
- pictures from my mom and dad’s families when they were growing up… (even just images on a CD so I can do things with them when I get a new computer!)
- photos of my childhood
- photo gifts like scrapbooks, coasters
- pictures of my family (nephews, siblings, etc)
- a comfy throw blanket or afghan (red) to match our living room… I am tiring of the Thomas and Cat and the Hat throws!)
- any Disney DVDs
- a gift certificate to my hair salon.
Rocco Altobelli - a gift certificate for manis/pedis
- a digital picture frame
- Burberry Touch for Women Perfume
- socks, socks, and more socks! Dress socks, fun socks, trouser socks, cute socks. Just. Socks.
- gift cards to Costco (for photo prints), Old Navy (for shopping sprees)…
- a necklace organizer… like this… (oh no, I’m back to the organization pattern!)
and maybe some ADD/ADHD meds for myself to help me get through the holiday season!
That should do it.
Hmmmmmmm. I have an obscene craving for salt this afternoon. I rummaged through my desk, purse, pockets, etc to find any and all coins for a friendly stop at the local vending machine in the teacher’s lounge. Yum. What did I find? A little tiny, but extremely salty bag of Cheez-its. Perfection. (Almost Totally worth the 75 cents!)
Now, where did I put my can of Coke Zero?
Topic this week: 10 ways to waste time on the internet.
Man, only 10? I can think of quite a few more than that!
Here we go…
- Evil facebook games (Bejeweled Blitz, Farmville, Farkle, etc)
- Facebook period. end.of.story. Going through photos, status updates, and links, etc. You could I seriously waste a lot of time there!
- This is why you are fat...
- The People of Walmart
- Looking up movies, actors, TV shows on Internet Movie Database.
- Googling yourself or anyone you know.
- Google Earth. enough said.
- Fark.
- YouTube.
- Awkward Family Photos
- Cake Wrecks
- Draw a House
- I Can Has Cheezeburger
- Stumble Upon
- Draw Ball
- Wordle.
I could go on…..but really?!?
Click here for more 10 on Tuesday participants!
Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.
Are you feeling guilty for avoiding making a dentist appointment for just one more month because you hate going there so much? Hope that no one saw you pick your nose while you sat at the traffic light? Overcome with shame because, in your house, cleaning for guests just means shoving stuff into drawers and closets? Well don’t be! Not Me! Monday was born out of MckMama’s desire to admit some of her imperfections and reveal a few moments she’d rather forget. You may find it therapeutic to join in and do the same thing!
So, every week I read MckMama’s crazy posts about things she never does, and every week I vow to do the same thing, but I have a little problem. My pride. Who wants to admit things like that? Well, this week, I am taking the plunge… here we go…
This week, I did not put my mask on upside down at the clinic when Hubby brought me to Urgent Care. I most definitely did not. Hubby did not have to ever so sweetly tell me how to put it on. That so never happened!
I most certainly did not brush my teeth with my little guy’s toddler toothpaste because my toothpaste was gone and Hubby’s was getting low, too. Nope, who would do that? Not me!
I also certainly did not eat a bunch of Punky’s Kit Kat bars that were lying around aftter Halloween. Nope, that would be so wrong!
I also never had a piece of cold pizza for breakfast two days in a row! That would be insane!
I also did not mutter anything under my breath at God this week as my infertility shots were ending and ovulation was approaching and I was home sick with a nasty flu bug. I did not say a word about bad timing or anything! I mean, who would do THAT?
I also never rolled my eyes this morning as I dropped Punky off at daycare and he started his Academy-Award winning performance for melting Mom’s heart and for the world’s biggest guilt trip when I left. I never did that. Nope, not me! What kind of mom does that?
Now that wasn’t so bad, was it? In fact, that felt kinda good!
As promised, I tried to get some good pictures of Punky in his costume today…
I could have just nibbled him up, he was so darn cute walking around trick-or-treating!
So, this afternoon, Halloween, at 3:15PM, we decide we better carve our pumpkins! Punky and Dada paired up for the big one and Mama got to carve the two little bitty ones. Here are a few picture depicting our fun!
Getting things ready to start…
Digging in…
Scraping the pumpkin walls…
Punky starting to carve
(after they have sketched the face on the pumpkin…Mama thinks that’s cheating!)
Dada took over carving for a bit…
Meanwhile,
Mama freehand carved her 2 little punpkins while the boys were busy with their one.
The boys were still working…
Punky was very excited about their hard work!
So, if I am your friend on Facebook, you may have seen these. Here are Punky’s last three years of Halloween costumes. Tomorrow, (Halloween) I will post a picture of his costume this year!
His First Halloween (6 days old)
Our Little Sweet Pea…
And, of course, he had a cute “Jack O’Lantern” set, too!
His 2nd Halloween – 1 year old
Our cute little monkey!
His 3rd Halloween – 2 years old
Our curious little lion…
His 4th Halloween – 3 years old
Who can forget last year’s costume?
Our yummy little gingerbread “guy” (that’s what he called himself)
This year, Punky wanted to be nothing but the “gingerbread guy” again. That was the plan; however, I guess he didn’t realize that mommies sometimes forget things, so when we went to Illinois 2 weeks ago to celebrate Halloween and Punky’s birthday, Mommy FORGOT his “gingerbread guy” costume. So, we hit the stores and found a costume for him to wear in Illinois. I have yet to get a good picture of him in it, so that will be my job tomorrow, on Halloween. I will post it then!
Until then…
Tootles!
10 things I learned this morning on the internet:
- Mckmama hasn’t posted an update on Stellan for over 13 hours now….continue your prayers!
- Laughing At Chaos is banging out the posts on her snazzy new blog! Love her new look! (except the pictures of the snow!)
- Twitter now lets you create lists to organize who you are following. Very cool.
- After reading some of my fave scrapping blogs, I miss scrapping!
Gals, we need to schedule some time…SOON! (Today, I read Becky Higgin’s blog, Cosmo Cricket’s blog, 7 gypsies’ blog, Jenni Bowlin’s inspiration blog, Chrsitine Middlecamp’s Retrospection blog, Scrapbook Obsession, Scrapping with IKEA Goddess, and Create something today. - Tommy is coming home to the Walker Family this Sunday on Brothers & Sisters. (I was reading Bloggers & Sisters.)
- If you can’t tell, I caught up on my blog feeder. I HEART Chrissie and her twin sister Lisa. Chrissie is over at Flipflops & Applesauce. Lisa is over at Lisa Leonard Designs and It’s the Little Things.
- I hope RC is having fun with her family in Duluth. They were going to stay where we stayed this past summer! Her tweets sounds like they are having fun!
- Mr. Geek , Beau, and Helen have fallen off the blogging wagon. COME BACK!!!!!
- Everything can be found on ebay.
- Etsy has some really cute gift ideas!
10 Things I want to get done this weekend:
- Carve our pumpkin.
- Roast Pumpkin seeds.
- Take pictures of Punky in his cute Halloween costumes.
- Write thank you notes for all of Punky’s birthday gifts.
- Clean up the kicthen table – it has become a mass piling of everythign from this week.
- Come up with some sort of storage solution for Punky’s closet.
- Go through Punky’s clothes and purge what doesn’t fit him. (I’ll bring those to IL for my nephew)
- Watch a movie with Hubby.
- Sit down and write out my Christmas “To-Do” and “To-Get” lists (I already have some presents! Wow!)
- Take Punky trick-or-treating.
10 Things I am loving about Punky right now…
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He is absolutely loving to play board games. Candyland, Hi-Ho Cherry-O, Chutes and Ladders, etc.
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He cracks me up everytime he wears a sweatshirt with a hoodie, he feels it necessary to wear teh hood up on his head. It makes me laugh.
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The boy is so worried about me. Between my visits to Urgent Crea this week and my already scheduled visits to my reproductive endocrinologist this week, he thinks I live at a doctor’s office. He asks each mornign if after I get home from my appt, I coudl call him at daycare and tell him that I am ok. Awwwwww…
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On Tuesday, he came home from daycare with Hubby. I had such a high fever, I didn’t dare drive. Anyway, he rushed right over to me on teh couch, gave me a kiss, then ran over to get his doctor kit and quickly took my vitals and listened to my heart. He’s such a sweetheart.
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He loves Blue, his blanket that Aunt Jeanne knitted for him after he was born. Poor Blue has been through some rough times, but Aunt Jeanne always fixes it. There ismore damage to Blue this week, and Punky keeps saying, “Aunt Jeanne will fix it for me….”
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He tells everyone how many he is now all while holding up his four fingers….in only a way he can do it. He smashes those 4 fingers together so tightly, I am amazed they can stand up to signal his age!
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Punky has been talking on the phone a lot to Gwandma Holly (Aka Grandma Knock-Knock) and his cousin. I love listening to them chatter away….
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Punky got so excited this week to watch “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” It was very cute.
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He is so snuggly when it’s time for bed.
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After I asked him to clarify something that I couldn’t believe he had just said, he simply stated, “Just let it go, Ma.” WHAT?!?!?!??
I am off to rest now……….. but I am feeling better today!
I would like to introduce you to my new friends. I want them near me all the time…for without them, I would be miserable.
All of us hang out on my couch…wrapped up in a down comforter….and lounging on pillows.
Remember my Uncle Matt? Click here to read about him (and see pictures…)
His daughter, Rebecca, has co-founded “No Shave November.”
Their mission:
We want our friends and family to get as hairy as possible during the month of November. Stop shaving. Stop waxing. Stop Nair-ing. Use the money you spend on razors, creams, spa treatments, etc. and donate it to colon cancer prevention, research and aid. Tell your boss. Tell your girlfriend. Tell your barista. We are working on creating a reliable partnership with a reputable cancer foundation to provide you with a fast and easy link to donate.
So, click here and join their Facebook group…and spread the word. It’s for a GREAT cause (and a tribute to a tremendous man!)
Uncle Matt and me at my wedding gift opening breakfast (2003)
Ok, so it’s no secret, my immune system sucks this year! I mean, who is sick from day one through day thirty-two of the school year? (ok, the first week or two was allergies…..but still!) I have had students dropping like flies with flu, colds, sinus infections, etc. Punky’s day care had been hijacked with the flu (most likely, H1N1) last week.We thought we were safe as Punky had been in Illinois the week before the sickness hit. However, Punky and I have a horrendous cough now. He doesn’t feel very good, but doesn’t have a fever yet. (Kelly says that the cough was day one and the fever hit day 2…ugh). I missed two dys of school the second week of October due to this crap. Now, I have it again?!?!?!? I am heading down to the nurse’s office on my prep….I am sure I have a fever now….even with meds. I guess I should leave lesson plans out when I leave tonight…Just.in.case.
Come on! Go away, you nasty-ass germs! I just want to feel 100% human, normal again! Pretty Puhhhhlease?!?!?!?!?
Dear Punky,
I cannot believe you are four years old! It seems like yesterday when I first held you in the hospital…where has the time gone?
You amaze me every single day. There isn’t a day that I am not in awe of something you do or say. There isn’t a day that I don’t thank God for blessing my life by bringing you into it! You are an amazing little boy. You’re so sweet, sensitive, and sincere. You try so hard at everything you do. You absolutely love your friends and family…and do lots of nice things for them each day. I know you make Gwandma Holly’s morning when you talk with her on the phone. I love listening to you share your thoughts with her.
You are quite the explorer. You want to know how things work and why things happen. You worry about things alot….like NAPS! You keep telling me you don’t want to grow up, but as I watch you explore new experiences, you are gaining confidence and independence. There isn’t a day that goes by that I am not proud to be your mommy.
You whispered to me the other night that your favorite time of every day is when we snuggle at bed time. That’s mine too, sweetie! I love hearing you whisper in the dark about your thoughts, ideas, and experiences from the day.
I love you to the moon and back…forever…..and ever!
Love,
Mama
Punky celebrated his birthday with his friends today. We headed to KidCreate Art Studio in Eden Prairie, MN. We also had Chris from Chris & Rob’s cater the party with their fabulous Chicago-style hotdogs! Chris & Punky have quite a special bond. Punky is one of Chris’ favorite customers. In fact, when I got the bill for lunch today, printed among the itemized charges was “Punky’s discount” which decreased our total due!
Anyway, as guests arrived, they signed Punky’s birthday book. I buy a different book each year to have anyone who celebrates with him sign and leave a message for him. This year, his book was Dr. Seuss, “Happy Birthday to You!”
As guests began to arrive, Punky made his birthday crown…
Chris set up shop and started to serve hotdogs to the kids and adults.
After bellies were full, they began their “Farm” projects:
They added grass to their farm…
Glued paper…
Made sheep…
Made spotted cows with their black fingerprints…
Made chicks out of feathers…
Sponge-painted little pigs…
Added barns and silos…
And, voila… beautiful farms…
Punky then opened lots of nice gifts from his friends. My favorite part of this is that they have the friend who gave Punky the gift sit up with Punky while he opens it. I though that was very cool! (So did the kids!)
Then, we got ready for the cake, sang, blew out candles, and ate cake!
The kids had a blast!
Happy Birthday, Punky!
Last Friday, in the rain, we hit the pumpkin patch in Illinois with my sister, her kids and our mom, Grandma Knock Knock. We had fun, but it was cold, damp, and wet. Punky was quite the fashion model. He donned his sunglasses (no sun?), an umbrella, and his winter coat and hat. Here are a few pictures to document our time there! Brrrrrr.
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- A Stylin’ Punky!
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- Is it raining?
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- Sytlin’
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- A cool Punky!
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- Look, Benjamin!
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- Checking out the goats and sheep…
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- Smile!
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- I love this goofy pic of Hubby!
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- Sisters
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- My sister, my mom, and me
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- Go Cubs!
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- Me and Hubby
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- Punky and Mama
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- Our Family
-
- A Smiling Benjamin!
I went shopping for Punky’s birthday gifts last night…by myself. Punky has been with me everytime we hit a toy store, so it’s been hard to purchase anything without little eyes seeing it in the cart.
I could have explored stores for hours and hours… there are so many cool toys out there! However, knowing that we have MORE THAN ENOUGH GeoTrax. (remember all those?) Anyway, Punky had a list a mile long of GeoTrax he wants…but the boy cannot fit anymore GeoTrax in our house! It is set up right now and takes up our entire living room! Crazy! We only put it up for a few days at a time….and it’s only up this week so he can play with his cousin this weekend since my sister and her family are coming up here. Anyhoo…this is what I decided on:
Geotrax Rope ‘n Ride Ranch
Hi Ho Cherry-O Game
Busytown Game – Punky lOVES Richard Scarry’s characters!
Melissa & Doug Cardboard Building Blocks
Automoblox Mini – These are AWESOME! This will be Punky’s 7th car. He loves to build with these!
Punky is into playing games. He is loving Candyland, Chutes & Ladders, Memory, and Dominoes. I think he will absolutely love these 2 games too! Teh Richard Scarry one looks really cool – I can’t wait to play!
Tomorrow is his kid birthday party and Sunday is his actual BIRTHDAY! I’m sure you’ll see pictures next week!
I love these pictures.
If you knew Punky’s real name……you’d be laughing too!
For now though, I will title these, “Punky in a box,” which isn’t the same effect, but you people are intelligent enough to figure out the humor. right?
I know I am tardy in posting many events that have occurred in our lives over the past few weeks. I will just start throwing some posts up here to try to get caught up. A few weeks ago (ok, maybe 6 or 7, so more than a few) we walked over to a park near our house to play basketball. Punky rode in his wagon. He and Dada had lots of fun playing basketball while Mama took lots of pictures!
Lots of energy was released, lots of giggles were heard, and lots of fun was had by all!
So, after a LONG time away from Thursday Thirteen, I thought I’d jump back in and start up again. (Well, at least for today!)
Thursday Thirteen: 13 Things I record each week on my DV-R.
- Brothers & Sisters
- Grey’s Anatomy
- The Daily Show
- Saturday Night Live
- How I Met Your Mother
- Two and a Half Men
- Curb Your Enthusiasm
- Handy Manny
- Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
- Imagination Movers
- Rubbadubbers
- Make Way for Noddy
- Jungle Junction
Can you guess which ones are for Punky? Most of our DVR is for him!!!!!
CLick here to view more Thursday Thirteen participants! Enjoy!
