Friday, June 30, 2006

Okay so back to why we have three dogs.

Well, while we were in Cali and Brody was in NY with Mr. Fantastic' s Aunt, they got a new puppy. Daisy, she is a spaniel poodle, and the cutest thing! So, Brody quickly became close buddies with Daisy, she was just a little 8 week old puppy at the time, so she was just his size. Did I mention that Brody is only 6 pounds or so? When the time came for Brody to go home everyone was depressed. Daisy was depressed her buddy was leaving, Brody was depressed, he was loosing a playmate and Mr. Fantastic' s Aunt was depressed because Daisy was about to start chewing on her in stead of Brody!

So after several weeks of watching Brody mope around, tail down, ears flat, I was a little concerned. Mr. Fantastic and I discussed the possibility of getting another little dog, so Brody wouldn't feel so alone. We quickly agreed that when and if an opportunity came we would take it.

Little did we know that opportunity would come knocking about a month later. The crazy dog lady or so she is known at our house, called and asked if we would consider taking a small pom, that she NEEDED to get rid of. That kind of ties back to how we got Brody, I think that she genuinely thinks that she is doing the right thing by having all of these dogs. She's not a bad person, and personally, I think her heart is just a lot bigger than her wallet. None of these puppies have had shots or seen a vet, but they are perfectly groomed. So I think she does what she can, but ultimately knows that she can not do what they really need, so she gives them away.

Either way, I called Mr. Fantastic and explained the situation. Knowing the conditions of her house we decided that we couldn't leave him there, yes..... we are saps.

So I drove all the way out and picked up this tiny little puppy. He looked like this when we first got him.


Now, to be fair I must say that Brody was a sweetie from the moment we got him, but he didn't seem to know how to act like a puppy. He didn't chase balls, he barely barked, he didn't beg or sit when asked. He didn't know how to play at all. After being surrounded at all times by so many dogs I can only guess that he didn't have the opprotunoty to behave like a puppy. He was almost like a shy kid. With the introduction of Hooper, life for Brody changed and in a big way!


Suddenly he was all about playing and wrestling and running around the couch like it was a race track. It totally brought out the puppy in him.

More about the trials of Hooper tomorrow! Sure, he looks cute here.... looks can be deceiving!

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Fresh Jam

The kids and I went strawberry picking, so now we are stocked up for all sorts of fresh strawberry goodness! Strawberry pie, muffins, sauce, frozen whole (just right for blender drinks) sugared, frozen strawberry custard... Ohhh the possibilities.

We decided to first make freezer jam, I personally like freezer jam much better than cooked jam. I think that you loose a lot of flavor by cooking the berries. So, not only is it better for us to make freezer jam, but it is a whole lot easier.

First you make a trip to your local U-pick strawberry patch, forget to bring your camera, eat your weight in strawberries, while chasing your children through the narrow little rows to stop them from bothering every other berry picker there. You fill up for bowls, round up your crazy children and take a wrong turn on the way home. What? Don't you do it that way?



Well, I suppose to be fair you can get your strawberries any way you want, you just need to have four cups of crushed berries to start with.



In order to make freezer jam you need pectin, and for my money and time, Ball makes the best kind.



You add your 1 1/2 cups sugar to the packet of pectin, in a small bowl, mix until blended.


Stir together with berries for 3 minutes.



Laddle into clean jars, pop on lids and let rest on the counter for 1/2 hour. No insane boiling of jars and lids, and stuff not sealing, forget that! I have two children and three dogs to look after, I don't have time to make sure no lids pop up.

Place in freezer for up to a year, or in the fridge for about a month, and enjoy!

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

I admit it, I am an addict

After reading Stefani's post about her new found admitted love for dogs, it left me to examine own opinion of man's best friend. Or with three dogs, addiction!

For as long as I can remember we have always had a cat or two. Most of them were strays that my mother would care for, that soon, after a few vet visits would become house cats and that was that. She could never say no to an animal in need.

When my mother remarried, her new husband had a dachshund. Now they say that dachshunds are one people kind of dogs, as far as this one was concerned that was true. I would sit on the couch next to my stepfather or in his lap when I was three or so and that damn dog would nip at my ankles. He was a mean little SOB and to make matters worse, his name was Chuckie, how horrible and evil is that?

So I wasn't fond of dogs, from that point on. There was a small incident when I was 16 that involved a lot of stitches and a doberman pinscher, again EVIL!!!!!!

So when I moved out and got my own place, it was a cat that accompanied me. And we have had several over the years. Until I was 7 months pregnant with Boots and had severely impaired judgement and allowed myself to be talked into getting a dog, a big dog, we adopted him from Lollypop Farms, a rescue center her in Upstate NY. Now he is handsome as all get out, but scraping the bottom of the barrel for intelligence. He is a black lab mix, and very sweet. But a big dog, never the less. So I am still not totally comfortable with him around my kids. I don't take those chances, and after a fated day last summer when I made a very quick trip to the pediatricians office for stitches for Boots, that sealed his place for me, forever.


I will quickly explain that it was not the dogs fault, but Boots at two not understanding never to throw things as a sleeping dog. But I will have to tell that story another time.

So it's a long story of how we came to get Brody, but I quickly fell in love, I mean, head over heels, you feel your heart melting as he curls up next to you no matter where you are kind of love. I made arrangements to leave him with Mr. Fantastics aunt when we went away for Christmas to Cali. This woman by the way is the worlds biggest animal lover, so I knew he would be in great hands. I brought him there, and with great difficulty, left him and tried not to ball my eyes out as I drove the 45 minutes back home.

I know, I know, this seems ridiculous! Especially for a woman who has two children that are constantly with her, why should she miss a dog? I mean, it's a dog right? Wrong, it's a adorable little thing that just wants me to love it, and asks for very little in return. My best friend for the last 25 years who happened to go along for the ride, turned to me as I was getting rather teary and said, "Now you get it don't you?". I finally understood, why dog people are so crazy for their dog, and most other peoples dogs too. It's a whole other community to belong to. Did I mention that Brody is a Pomeranian? A rare color of Black and Tan that makes him look like a baby bear. So here is my baby, and tomorrow I will tell you all about his little brother, Hooper aka My Nemesis. And finish up why the hell we have three dogs.

Thanks for hanging in there!

Friday, June 23, 2006

Today was the last day of school for Little P for a while, she will be taking some fun classes this summer, just about one every other week, a girls gotta have some summer vacation ya know.

So I made all of the bus drivers cards stuffed full of million dollar promises. This one is empty, but you can see that there is a pocket just waiting to be filled! If you look at the upper right hand corner of the cream part of the card, there is an embossed butterfly, I just love how that part came out!



Who knows, maybe.... What is that saying? A dollar and a dream? Any one who drives around voluntarily with 45 screaming little kids deserves a really, really big dream!

And this morning, Boots made three new friends, meet Guenevere, Stick and Jump.



Where in goodness name he heard the name Guenevere, I will never know. He is absolutely fascinated with these three caterpillars. So much so that I had to almost bribe him to leave them and come home. It was 8 o'clock and this little chickie had not had her coffee yet. I'm not big on bribes, but some times, you've gotta do what you've gotta do, especially when coffee is on the line. Not to worry though, Little P doesn't get off the bus until about 3:15 or so, we were back at the bus stop and subsequently my friend Sue's house at 2:00, just so he could have more than enough time to get to know his new furry little friends!

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Birthday Surprises!

Yesterday, after I had scrubbed my whole house, and was pretty fed up with everything, a wonderful thing happened. The UPS man came! I LOVE when the UPS man comes to my door, because he is never bringing me bills or more junk mail. oh no, no, no, he only brings presents... Glorious Ebay finds, or fantastic other on line purchases. And once in a while, he brings gifts, special surprises for someone in our family sent from someone packed with love. Stop gagging, and listen....

This is what happened yesterday. The UPS man brought me a birthday gift from my sister in law in California and her family. It was filled with this!



When we were in Cali in December for Christmas, (I know, rough life!) I was giving her some tips on making jam and we went to this kitchen store in La Jolla. It had the most amazing stuff, I was like a kid in a candy store. This cracked her up, she had never seen anyone go so nuts over french jelly jars, and bowl scrapers.

So she gave me the best kind of present, it was packed with breast cancer awareness pot holders( especially close to my heart) prep bowls, a mini egg whisk just like my egg cups and timer, and she didn't even know I had those. That's some connection! It had this really cool clampy thing that clamps on the side of pot and hold any spoon, silicone muffin cups ( that I have been dying to try!) a fabulous new scraper, a super cute little spatula, a mini grater and funnel. A silicone popsicle mold, and last but most certainly not least these little measuring spoons that read, dash: smidgen: and pinch. I saw these in December and she remembered and went back six months later and got them for me. I LOVE that woman!

I can't wait to use my silicone muffin cups, which I will be tomorrow, making Little P's favorite Double Chocolate Banana Muffins.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Anniversaries

This is us, 8 years ago today, can you believe it?




Today marks my 8th wedding anniversary. I am amazed at what can happen in a seemingly short period of time.

We have had two children , we have 3 dogs, we have acquired 2 guinea pigs and a hamster. We have moved 7 times, we watched Little P get on that bus for her first day of kindergarden. We have redone a kitchen and a bathroom, and learned how to do almost every thing by trial and error to complete these things.

We have experienced the scare of a premature birth, as well as the fastest birth that my doctor has ever been witness to. We have had a tremendous amount of loss, remembered everyday. We have attended way too many funerals . We have been in and attended too many weddings to count. Obviously it was much more fun to do the latter. We have seen our families fall apart and pick them selves up at different times and different places. We have made emergency drives across the state and right down the street to the pediatricians office.

We have seen first steps and heard first words. We've rocked through fevers and nightmares. We've slept upright in a chair more times than I can count, which by the way is the ONLY way that you can get a baby with an ear infection to be in the least bit comfortable and back to sleep. We have worked more in one week than some people do in a month. Gotta love retail, and be thankful when you are no longer working it. We have been thrilled when you get the job and sad when you didn't. We have cheered each other on and picked each other up. It has been an amazing ride and I can't wait to see what happens next!

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Father's Day


Father's Day at our house means a big family breakfast, (if you have read any of my earlier posts, you will know that we LOVE breakfast at our house). Gifts and of course, Dad gets three wishes. Yep three, and no wishing for more wishes Mister! Learned that lesson the hard way. So he wanted to sleep late, watch a movie of his choice (his favorit thing to do!) and spend some time painting. He was able to do all three. Job complete!

He recieved some interesting gifts, from Little P, he got this card:


Tucked safely inside that fantastic green pocket is a amazing new bookmark complete with picture and magnet backing! She is the cutest! But then, on the back there is a Top 10 reasons of Why I Love My Dad. Now, I will not share all of them with you, that is between them, but this one, this one is just too precious not to share: #7 I love my dad because he taught me how to read. That pretty much sums up what is important in our house and how much our 7 year old daughter understand what we value.

Then she gave him these:

What are these you ask? These folks, are happy rocks, and the poem looks a little small in the pic, so it sayes;
Happy Rocks Some smiles from me to you on rocks the shade of blue. To show you that I care, in times that I'm not there. Just a little rub will do and you'll feel the smile come through. Worry not if it should wear away, for inside your heart, the smile will stay.

That little girl is amazing.

Lastly, Boots, Little P and I gave dear old Dad something to make his drive into work more bearable.


He is a very happy Dad. For all you fathers out there, hope your day was great!

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Look what I found!

It has always been very interesting to me, the things that you come across in the dollar store. And I will freely admit that it take a fair amount of ambition to set foot in any super discount strip mall store. 90 % of what fills each and every row are various remains of 1984. Still in the original packages. Well surely that must be worth something, and evidently it is... A dollar.

I will muster up the courage and place all preconcieved notions about dollar stores aside, when it means that I can buy 16 AA batteries and this bag, for a mere dollar each!



Which I quickly took home and filled with pics, the perfect bag to contain Mr. Fantastic's father's day present.

Friday, June 16, 2006

I have the most interesting in laws in the world.


First off, they have been married for 39 years. Does the even happen anymore? They still hold hands, how cute is that? And they are funny as all get out. And they come with an entire culture laden clan.

I have been married to Mr. Fantastic for 8 years coming up soon and so that means that I have been in this very large Italian family for close to 11 years. It's a trip. I grew up in a small family, who are not very close now. Comparing them to Mr. Fantastics Sinatra loving group is in no way close to fair. These are people that love to gather. And I say that instead of party because although they do party a lot, when they are together. They love an excuse to get together more.

To share stories and pictures and memories with one another. Mr. Fantastics cousins, and there are almost too many to count, are more like really great friends, rather than just family. All of the cousins children, (whom technically) are second cousins consider them selves friends first and then cousins. Who even knows their second cousins? I don't.

So, they are a very close family. It's like the Godfather, no one gets out... Hehehehe. But my in laws did get out, and they moved, not across the town, or even across the state, no in typical Italian family fashion where every thing is big, they moved across the country. Also in Italian family fashion they didn't want to lose touch with an entire family. So they started a family website. Every one is on there, and I do mean everyone. Mr. Fantastics 84 year old grandmother is all about the site. As a matter of fact she gets a little testy if you don't send her new pics of her babies. Folks you have never seen a more amazing great grandmother, whom my children refer to as Grandmama.

The site was started and maintained by Mr. Fantastics Dad, who now has his own blog, at 60, I love this family. It's all about how him seeing things from a Grandpa's point of view. Stop over and visit him sometime, he's got a lot to say. Grandpas Observations Congrats and welcome!

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Dresses and Kitty Cats

My little niece and nephew have received their gifts that I sent. So now I can blab about them all I want!

Our littlest niece had a ball with her butterflies too! And she was such a big girl about letting them go, she really needed a butterfly dress and I needed to make it for her...

Here it is!


And this little kitty is for my little nephew, it was such a cute pattern and I thought that he would like it, everything is on there super securely so in the very least it is safe to teeth on! And it got there just in time to be a present for starting to crawl! He is just too cute for words!


I can't wait to see them in July!
Birthdays are funny things....

Yep I turned 30 yesterday. And it was a great day. I was blessed with all sorts of well wishes and cards. A singing phone call from my mom in law was a morning treat! Is that not the cutest thing ever? And I got to talk to my nieces in CA, and had a wonderful conversation with the most beautiful 35 year old woman I know.

I had all sorts of treat, my neighbor baked me a Nana'a Apple cake for one, complete with birthday candle. Too cute for words!

From Little P I recieved a fantastic shirt. I love it! Ever since I get to make my own hours, and plan my own day, this is my work attire, tee shirts, the bottoms vary depending on the weather, lately it has been jeans (a little chilly here in NY).


From Boots I received Cheaper by the Dozen: This movie is sooooo cute. And we have family movie night at our house. We sometimes get take out, some times we just move dinner into the living room and have family movie night, gathered around our coffee table. Dinner and a movie style. They are the best dates ever.


And from Mr. Fantastic I received a book that I have been waiting to read called: My Friend Leonard, by James Frey. Yes I am aware of the controversy. Personally I don't care. The guy can write and I am all for a good book.

The kids and Mr. Fantastic also made a kick ass dinner of chicken parm, with fresh bread and I made cream puffs for dessert. I can't let them have ALL the fun!


And a beautiful candle lit bath complete with bubble and relaxation music and a glass of wine. It is good to be 30!

Sunday, June 11, 2006

So we went to the movies............

We took Boots to his very first movie. Out side of our living room, he hasn't actually been to a movie yet. He has been talking non-stop about going to see Over the Hedge for a few weeks now. So on Sat. we packed up the fam and off to the movies we went. Can I just tell you that it was freakin' hillarious! We love when children's movies are entertaining for them and for us. Anyone that has ever sat through something like a Hamtaro movie, in all it's brain numbing glory, can tell you that that movie had no redeeming qualities for adults or children, no matter how much rhyming there is. When you can't even handle the theme song you know it's bad. It's ingenious on the part of the producers and directors of children's movies to think about the parents that are going to be driving to and paying for their children to see the movie. I will gladly hand over my money to any company that makes it tolerable for me to sit there for two hours while my child is being entertained.

It was refreshing to watch something so entertaining for everyone. People say you relive stuff through the eyes of your children, I can tell you that is absolutely true. I had completely forgotten how exciting it is to walk down that hallway, through the tunnel of huge movie posters on either side. To climb those steep steps to get to the center isle, sit in a darkened theatre and see all of the previews, his eyes got bigger with each one. There was so much to get excited about ! To see his eyes light up when I handed him his own bag of popcorn and his own pink lemonade was priceless. He kept looking to Little P to see what she was doing, whom is an old pro at this movie stuff. Or so she informed him when she was telling him where to get the best seat. It made for a very fun afternoon. And very animated dinner conversation that night.

Hope you all get to enjoy it too!

Wednesday, June 07, 2006


I have a new hero.

I don't know if any of you watch Inside the Actors Studio, if not, you missed something amazing on Sunday night.

I am a child of the eighties, and even if your not, you can't tell me you can't name at least one movie with Michael J. Fox in it. Who here doesn't remember him surfing down a sunny street on top of a van in all of his werewolf glory? Or sliding on his knees cranking out "Johnny Be Good", at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance. Alex P. Keaton is a name I will never forget.

I learned on Sunday night that 1/3 of all house holds in the US tuned in weekly to watch Family Ties. At it's highest point of popularity even Seinfeld was watched by less than 20%. And to think, that Michael J. Fox was not their first choice!

I must admit, when he came out and began to speak I was slightly taken aback. He sounded different to me. He was a little quicker with his speech and frankly I was slightly embarrassed for him, thinking for a quick moment about the man he used to be. I am horrified and ashamed to admit that I thought that, I continued to watch and was proven wrong every minute for the next hour. I was charmed by his signature wit, and amazed at how humble he is. He was eloquent and seemed to really enjoy walking down memory lane.

He told the story of negotiating his contract for Family Ties, in a phone booth out side of Pioneer Chicken. Because at the time he didn't have a phone, or money to go into Pioneer Chicken. But there he was telling them that he couldn't do it for under $3000 a week. It was an amusing story, with a lot of humility to it.

As a childhood actor he managed to avoid being careened into that fiery pit of hell that usually engulfs young actors. That alone deserves tremendous praise.

He did talk briefly about being diagnosed and leaving Spin City because the disease had progressed to a point that he could no longer really hide it. It was also surprising to hear him talk about the disease as a gift as well. "The gift that just keeps on taking" said with a grin. I was in love all over again. He amazed me. He appeared over the next few moment to get shaky and distracted. He stood up and asked the audience and James for two minutes. Explaining as he was walking off that this was something that he couldn't do while taping Spin City.

He came back, much smoother, and more at ease. He told a small joke about it being a great thing when the drugs kick in, and he moved on. It was inspiring to say the least. He was so thankful, for everything. Life has been good to him, and he knows it. But it was not with out an incredible amount of work on his behalf.

When asked about how me would describe Alex P. Keaton as a character , his answer was this: I always thought of him as a mansion made of rice paper, he looked amazing, he felt good about what he presented to the world. "But you could poke your finger through that anytime you wanted to."

I have a new hero. Check out his company: Michael J. Fox Foundation. You could have a new hero too.

Monday, June 05, 2006

I have worked since I was 14 years old. Even younger if you count baby-sitting. So it was slightly unnatural to quit a good job after I had Boots.

Let me explain, see when we had Little P, life was very different. We still lived in a college town, Mr. Fantastic was finishing up with his bachelors , and as fate would have it, along came Little P. As a matter of fact, she came a long to early and was a very little Little P. She was just over 5 lbs. when we brought her home to our second story victorian apartment. We were incredibly blessed at the time to have amazing friends. Surprise, surprise, it was three men that came running to the hospital, swooning over our five pound bundle of joy right next to the proud grandparents. It was these incredible men that rearranged their already set school schedules to be with Little P when I went back to work when she was a mere 6 pounds and 8 weeks old. Mr. Fantastic was able to be with her a lot, and these amazing men filled in the gaps. I still remember driving an hour home from work and pulling in to the drive way and looking up at the bay of six, eight feet high windows, to a 6' 4" man cradling my tiny Little P in his arms, pacing the floor in our apartment.

There were a lot of benefits to this. A major one being that men are a lot more aware of every little move a baby makes. Usually because they are some what unsure of everything. They tended not to be as laid back as women, and I needed that. I needed them to be as over protective as I was. I needed to know that if I couldn't be there to hold my tiny little girl then someone else, who loves her would be. Another benefit to this was they were college guys. They were happy to be paid in home cooked meals and brownies! It was the best arrangement possible, that turned out to be life altering for these men, and for us as well.

Where was I? Oh yeah, quitting my job, so my point with all of that incase you didn't get it is I didn't quit my job when we had Little P. When I found out I was pregnant with Boots, we sat down and talked about me staying home, we weighed it all out. And there was a lot to consider. On one side daycare for a 4 year old as well as a newborn. On the other the loss of a almost equal paycheck. In the end I was publicly undecided. I knew I wanted to stay home, I just wasn't sure that I could. As soon as he was born, I took one look at him and decided that I simply couldn't do daycare. I would do what ever I had to, to make it work out.

I wasn't sure if I could be the right kind of stay at home mom. The kind that you wonder how they get it all done.

I wasn't sure how life would be with out lunch breaks, making money, the brain jump of the corporate world. Let alone trying to handle two kids. I had had just Little P for so long. And when the fateful day came that I had to march into my company and legally resign, it was not anywhere near as hard as I thought it would be.

You see, a while ago a huge event happened to me, about 8 years ago now. It changed me, at my core. It made me see things very differently. Lust after things that I wouldn't have realized I was missing. I took one really big lesson away from those events. Don't waste a single moment. In a few days I will be turning 30. I cannot tell you how many of my wrinkle fearing friends have been freaking out for me, I suppose some one has to, God knows, I'm not going to do it.

I say, bring it on. Bring on the age, that means that I am lucky enough to share more time with my family. Bring on the laugh lines, that means I am lucky enough to have happiness and laughter in my life. Bring on the gray hair, well maybe not gray just yet! Bring it on, I am so thankful for every day that I get to spend looking in to the brown eyes of my little ones., while being wrapped up in the arms of my amazing husband.

Today was one of those days, the kind that you will never forget, a Moment. I have lots of moments with Little P. I am building more and more moments with Boots. Today, after working in the house for a little while, after lunch, Boots and I took a walk about side and ended up in our back yard. You have not lived until you have laid on a blanket, so close to your 3 year old you can feel him breathing, as he is telling you this huge story, with amazing details about the clouds that you are watching roll by. That my friends, is a moment. And all of the paychecks, and all of the lunch breaks and all of the climbing of the corporate ladder in the world could not equal that hour.

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Did I tell you ????

We have butterflies, well had rather. After they all emerged, were well fed and ogled at we let them go. We had them in the house for about 2 days. When Little P got home from school it was release time. So they bravely marched out on to the deck to say good bye. After all these creatures have been with us for some time now, so to turn them out into the big world is a very monumental step for such young care givers. They both had the amazing experience of actually holding a butterfly in their hands. For Boots, this could not have been a bigger moment. It is all he has talked about for days! And everyday we go out and look for them, he is insistent that they would stay close to home. I keep getting these visions of him leaving for college (in 15 years! ) and me insisting he stay close to home.

Here they are in their moments of glory!


Here is Boots holding Bye.

They loved every second of this, and truthfully so did we! I grew up in the country, so you'd think that I would have seen all of this by now. Guess again folks, new to me too. I am kind of sorry that it is over. But not for long! There are so many more mini habitats to be had!

I have been sewing Pointy Kitties thanks to Wee Wonderfuls
So many that they are infact starting to take over the family room! I will post pics later!

Friday, June 02, 2006

Since Mr. Fantastic is feeling under the weather today, it was a good day for me to stick around home and bake. And I don't know about you, but the term "Stay at home Mom", is false. I feel like I am never at home. But make no mistake about that statement either. I am NOT one of the drive thru mom's. I am blessed with non picky children, partly by fate, partly by diligence as parents. We do not give them them the choice to eat their veggies or not eat their veggies, the choice comes in which ones they would like today. But they will eat them.

I am lucky, both Little P and Boots love, love, love fresh fruit and veggies, and 8 out of 10 times when offered the choice between cold slices of watermelon or ice cream on a hot day they will pick the melon, those other two times, well....they are kids after all and ice cream is ice cream. But as a mom I cheer when I see them making those choices with out me standing there prompting the right one. It's great to see them choose better for them selves. And I have to say secretly that some times it's kind of fun to see them savor that ice cream too.

I will say in the same breath that as much as I am stickler about making sure that they eat a balanced diet and drink lots of water and milk, I also don't feel that you should deny your kids things. I have had people drop their kids off at my house with a list a mile long of things that they don't let thier children have, and those parents no sooner step back in that car and drive away, when I have that small visitor who is hungry and insistant that twinkies are definately NOT on that list, and they are not taking strawberries as a possible substitution. So it has been my experience that moderation like with everything else in life is the best policy.

All this talk about food is making me hungry! What do we have here?

This morning I threw a cinnamon coffee cake in the oven, it is Mr. Fantastics fav.

He rested a lot today, but he did enjoy the scents coming from the kitchen. He is a big fan of Saucy Chicken, as am I. One dish, I can always deal with that.

I give you Saucy Chicken...


And one of my favorite desserts ever. Peanut Butter pie. I have tried every recipe I could ever get my hands on for this pie. This one is perfect, its made from 6 things, it goes in the freezer, it stays in the freezer. It resembles peanut butter ice cream, one fantastic slice at a time. And it is my very best friends recipe, so that makes it extra good.

Aunt Jenn's Peanut Butter Pie


1 cup milk
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup cool whip, not the 8 oz. container just a cup.
1 graham cracker pie shell (bought or made)
1/2 cup hot fudge (cold from the jar) optional --- but really really good.

You blend the sugar and the peanut butter with your hand mixer or beloved Kitchen Aid mixer on med. Slowly add the milk. Stop a few times to scrap down the sides and make sure there is no peanut butter clumped at the bottom. When smooth, fold in the cool whip. It works best if you do it in thirds.

Spread the hot fudge in the bottom of the pie shell, pour the filling over the hot fudge, cover, place in freezer over night. Slice and enjoy... See easy as pie.