Simple Girl

One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish.  I admit it.  I love Dr. Seuss!  A collection of these sing-song-y rhymes was the first thing I put on the bookshelves of our very first baby nursery.  Four kids later, I now have talents that include being able to recite The Cat In The Hat from memory! In honor of the late great Dr. Seuss (He would have been 107 on March 2nd) we are making these cute snacks!  Absolutely no skill or talent required! Simply start with a box of blue Jell-O..... and divide into four clear plastic cups. (The fish have to have a place to swim!) After the Jell-O has set, have the kids add their own fish!  (Swedish Fish, that is!) Ella's kindergarten class gets a Dr. Seuss party after they have collectively read 107 books! Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

Pink Buds have emerged  on the apple trees.  Daffodils are stretching their arms  toward the sun.  Kids are playing in the driveway  with scooters and chalk and bubbles.   Don't be envious, my northern friends,  but it  smells like  looks like  feels like spring,  here in the deep, deep south. For more photos without faces (this week), visit iheartfaces !

The conversation went something like this: Me :   Who remembers the name of this song? Ella :   Taco Bell's Me :   Close - it's Pachelbel's Canon in D.  What do you hear? Ella :   Slow.....Violins......  It sounds happy and sad both.  I think they play it at weddings alot. Insightful, I thought, for a girl who's only been to two weddings, neither of which played Pachelbel's Canon .  Was she already perceiving that weddings are intuitively both happy and sad?  The celebration of new love and that bittersweetness of leaving home?  This is why my children are simply not allowed to date.  Because, if they do, then someday they will leave me.  And if they leave me, then I will make them walk down the aisle to the beautiful, bittersweet happy-sadness of Pachelbel's Canon in D .  This will remind them that while they might be blissfully happy, I am only happy-sad.  Happy-sad like Pachelbel's Canon in D . Although the c...

I received the email late last week requesting breakfast food for a middle school party today.  I immediately signed Samuel up, since the instructions stated, "Please involve your child!"   Since I am in the panic-stricken process of trying to domesticate my 13-year old son (I only have FIVE more years!!) I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for him to make his choice of Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins. We always have LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS of frozen bananas in the freezer, not to mention a few overripe ones on the counter, so our first step was to find six bananas and mash them.  Unfortunately, both of my mixers were out for repair, so we started the mashing process by hand. Knowing that not everyone enjoys a big old banana chunk in their muffin, we decided to put the liquids together in a blender - sort of a banana-olive oil-egg-sugar smoothie, if you will! This idea was working out quite fine, until the blender went on the blink, too!  MOM, HELP! ...

This is my go-to soup recipe for soup luncheons or cold Saturdays.  It's super easy to make (no pun intended!) and serves a crowd.  The shredded hash brown potatoes  make this soup so thick and hearty, no one would ever guess that it's low fat! Corn Chowder 5 cups skim milk 2 cans creamed corn 2 cans 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup 3 1/2 cups frozen corn 1 bag (32 ounce) frozen shredded hash browns 2 cups cubed ham 1 small bag frozen chopped onions 4 teaspoons dried parsley salt and pepper to taste Dump all ingredients into a large slow cooker.  Cook on low for 8 hours and serve!

After a weekend filled with celebration, sadness and a giant science fair project,  we thought we would spend the remainder of our President's Day Weekend with a little family team building - specifically, bowling.  Now let me start by saying that I am not a bowler.  I did not grow up in a bowling family.  To me, bowling was something that you got to do on your birthday with a couple of friends - if you were lucky.   My husband, on the other hand, grew up in a family where bowling was a sport, played for trophies, in matching shirts.  If you doubt me, just check out the trophy collection in their basement.   So on this particular day, when we decided to go with our son's pick of $2.00 President's Day bowling, my consolation thought was, "At least we can practice our math skills!"  That's what I remember about bowling.  I remember graduating to third grade and finally being old enough to be considered a reliable scorekeeper.  Simple ad...

This weekend, Samuel said good-bye to a teammate and friend.  It's hard to lose someone your own age.  The reality of your own mortality becomes impossible to ignore.  It's a sudden wake-up call that that we are on this earth but for a moment.  This life is just a stopping point.  It's a chance to discover our Creator and choose for ourselves with whom we want to spend eternity.  This life is a gift. Some say that writing is a healthy outlet for grief.  I would have to agree.  It's an expression of the soul.  For me, photography is also an outlet for grief.  I took dozens of photos three years ago at the consecutive funerals of my two remaining grandparents.  I didn't care if people thought it was inappropriate.   It was grief therapy - an expression of my soul.  My cell phone camera was a little less conspicuous on this night.  Even now, as I look at this picture, I know that healing has begun. We'll miss you, S...

Have you ever been to a potluck brunch where everyone raced to sign up for cups and ice?  Well, this is your chance to be the hero!  This egg dish is easy to make and seemingly fail proof.  I got this recipe from my mom who got it from my Aunt Margie.   It is the only egg dish I have ever made, and really, I have no need try anything else.  This one simply works.   The best part?  It's even relatively not-so-bad for you!  It's hearty enough that you can serve it for a simple supper and fancy enough for Easter brunch.   Here are the simple steps:  In a 9" x 13" baking dish, layer one 5-ounce bag of croutons,  One pound ham or cooked turkey sausage, And shredded cheese. (The very old recipe says simply "one large bag of cheese," but in this super-sized world I'm just going to call that two cups!) Pour over the top a mixture of 1 can 98% fat free cream of celery soup, 2 1/2 cups skim milk and 4 eggs. Bake at 350 degrees for 3...

Dear Nana, It's hard to believe you are turning 80 today!  You are ageless.  You are timeless.  I don't think I can express how we feel about you better your own grandchildren can.  To them, you are as beautiful as a poem.  And even though you have set the bar on motherhood so high that no mere mortal could ever attain it, I love you anyway.  Thank you for all the ways you stay in our life.  I wish we weren't so far apart.  God bless you on your birthday and always.  Enjoy your day!  Love, Rachel My Nana By Anna, Grade 3 I think that Nana is the best grandparent ever. The sound of a gentle voice - this is Nana. She is joyful, kind, and inspiring. She is caring. She is the taste of honey. Flowers, freshness, and fruit smell like Nana. Being with Nana is like  being with a big, loving heart. She is beautiful. When I think of her, it is like thinking of heaven. She is my big treasure chest full of love. Nana By Samuel, Grad...

Martha Stewart's Chocolate Chip Cupcakes were the perfect Valentine's treat!  They seemed so perfect, in fact, that I had to increase the recipe!  I needed 24 for the fourth grade party, 6 for our family Valentine's dinner and 6 for a Birthday Treat at my husband's office.  That makes 36 in all.  The recipe said it made 30, so according to my calculations, I needed to multiply all the ingredients by 1.2! This, my dear children, is why you need to stay in school.   Who knew algebra had such a practical application? There were two additional reasons I was so excited about this recipe.  First of all, I had an opportunity to use up the Cake Flour for which I had searched high and low before the Snickerdoodle Cupcake endeavor, and SECONDLY, I would have a chance to use these BEAUUUUTIFUL red glassine cupcake liners which my Sister-in-law bought me for Christmas.  Can you see how they just glow in the light?  I'm telling you, she buys the BEST p...

If you think we live on a really cool cattle ranch in Oklahoma like The Pioneer Woman, you're wrong.  If you think we live in Connecticut, make our own maple syrup and play Scrabble with Martha Stewart, think again.  If you think we grow our own vegetables and homeschool our four kids, well -  we've considered it - but this is currently not our life.  Our life is in the suburban south.  Why, oh why, you might then wonder, is Arielle standing in front of this charming, weathered barn?   This barn stands at the back entrance to our neighborhood of mass-produced homes and postage-stamp lots.  It's the last hold-out of a life that once was.  It's an outpost that makes my youngest daughter squeal  with delight, "Mom, go the barn way, the barn way!"  And so we take the windy road past the barn, roll down our windows and make animal sounds, hoping to entice the delightful creatures that might live within, imagining what we cannot see. Happy...

I've been making fudge for Valentine's Day ever since I was in the third grade and I made my very first batch of fudge for my Sunday School teacher, Mrs. Stover.  She loved it so much that, even in subsequent years when she was no longer my teacher, I would still make a special heart-shaped batch just for her.   Those early batches were difficult.  I remember cooking with my mom and testing to see if the boiling candy had reached the soft ball stage by dropping a spoonful of the chocolate mixture into some water.  The results were never guaranteed.   Then one year things changed.  One year we found this Super Easy Fudge recipe that turns out perfectly every time.  Fortunately for me, this recipe does not even require a candy thermometer! It starts with some basic ingredients. Bring butter, sugar and evaporated milk to a boil.  Boil for 4 minutes or until a candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees.  Unless you are in love with your candy th...