Happy 1st Day of School

5th grade, 4th grade, and 2nd grade, oh my!

Wyn is becoming such a beautiful young lady.

I may be little but watch out 2nd grade because here I come!

B and his friend (and our neighbor) are in the same class this year. Can there be too much of a good thing?

And off to the world I send them! No longer babies but still my babies!

Summer Break is Over

And I am back to work. This summer was a busy one that included camping, a road trip without the hubby and 2 weeks in Colorado. I truly enjoyed being home with my children. We had a great time playing and learning and sleeping in. While it is always hard to see summer come to an end I think we are all ready to get back into our regular routines of work and school.

The next couple weeks will probably be a bit rough as we all readjust but we'll make it through.

I still have lots of pictures and stories to share from our Colorado trip including the bachelorette party and wedding of one of my best friends, my class reunion, and lots of fun times and visits with friends.

Now that summer is officially over for me I should be able to sneak in some more time to read all of your blogs as well. Happy end of summer!

Happy Birthday to my Hubby!

We love you Nate! Not only are you a loving husband but also a great dad. Thanks for everything you do for us. We hope you enjoy your special day!

Home

As our plane landed in Colorado last week I was welcomed home with a view of the sun setting behind the mountains. It was a beautiful reminder of some of the things I love about Colorado. It is so interesting to me that while my home is in Maryland, Colorado still feels like home.

We have begun to create a life in Maryland. We have a house, we have friends, the kids have a great school, I love our little town. Life is good, but there still is something about Colorado, it just feels comfortable, familiar, it truly feels like home.

The air is clear and dry, the sky is blue, and you can see for miles and miles. The mountains are never far out of view in the west. The streets are wide and sidewalks and walking paths and biking trails abound. People stop and smile a bit more, they're friendlier, a bit less rushed.

Of course Colorado is filled with people we love, family, and friends. Old neighbors, former classmates, and co-workers, the list goes on and on. This trip is about getting to visit with the people we love, being part of their day-to-day, getting to hug them and hold them tight, chat away the hours, because before we know it will be time to head back to Maryland. We will miss them when we're gone.

I suppose home is where the heart is and I suppose a little part of my heart will always be here in Colorado.

This Touched My Heart Today

This is not what I planned to write about today but after seeing this video on Kristen's blog I knew I had to share this with my readers. Maureen's story is amazing. Please watch, please share with your kids. My own kids asked why I was tearing up watching the video, stories like this touch my heart.

Our own financial situation has stopped me from committing to sponsoring a child so far but God has touched my heart in a way that I know it is our time. My 10 year old son wants to sponsor a child. Time to talk this over with hubby and pray. Time for us to make a difference, if only in one child's life.

Have a great Friday and a great weekend!

Learning to Cook

When hubby and I go out to eat we like to try locally owned, independent restaurants in our area. Recently we have begun to realize that even the most highly recommend restaurants often aren't anything special. This week hubby gave me some insight into why we aren't easily wowed. He said, "you are a great cook and while this stuff (at restaurants) isn't bad, your food is better." How's that for a compliment!

He also made another interesting point that most Americans don't cook. They typically just heat stuff up or eat convenience meals. Most people do not prepare meals from fresh ingredients. I thought he must be right so I looked it up. Only 50% of Americans cook .

So why is it that only 50% of Americans cook? Don't get me wrong, I used to hate to cook. Honestly before I learned to cook I had no real interest in learning to cook or learning to enjoy cooking. Before I met my husband I wasn't a real cook, merely a food warmer. On occasion I made simple things like spaghetti or tacos but those meals mainly involved warming of food. We ate convenience food like frozen pizza or mac and cheese and ate out more than I would've like.

So what has changed in the past 4 years for me? I used to not know how to cook and hated cooking, now I anxiously await my new Food Network magazine, and flip through cookbooks to plan our weekly meals. For me the biggest change has been time. I can't give you more time if you are short on time but I will say if you put a little effort into learning to cook, even on the weekends when you have more time, there are a lot of quick meals that you can put on the table in under 30 minutes for those busy weekday evenings.

The other biggest change for me has been simply trying to learn. As time has passed and as I have become a better and better cook, I enjoy cooking more and more. I think this is like any skill, as you get better it is more enjoyable for you. I also like to eat yummy food so that is a good motivator.

If I can learn to cook, you can learn to cook! Here are my suggestions for getting started:

-Invest in a basic cookbook. I have a go-to cookbook for basic things, mine is the Pillsbury Complete Cookbook, Better Homes and Gardens has a good basic cookbook, anything that has been around since you were a kid is a good basic resource to have. I won't lie, this cookbook isn't going to wow you, it contains basic recipes. It is a good starting place and a good resource. If I want to make white cake from scratch, I go here first, then branch out after my basic recipe turns out well. If I want a peanut butter cookie recipe, I look here too. Any basic thing can be found here as well as cooking tips, substitutions, cooking times for meats.

-Invest in a quick meal cookbook. Two of my favorites are Rachel Ray 365 No Repeats, and Pampered Chef 29 Minutes to Dinner. Commit to trying 2 new recipes a week from the book you choose. If you don't have a lot of time during the week, cook both weekend nights to start. Your confidence will build over time.

-Menu plan. At least a little bit. I know some people are born planners (like me) and others like to do things last minute. I am not telling you that you have to plan 7 days of meals (though I find that the easiest overall) but do sit down, decide what 2 new meals you are going to try, look through your pantry see what you have, make a list of ingredients you need. Do not be intimidated by unfamiliar ingredients. Use the internet to look up the ingredient or even ask the store employees where it is located.

-Do not be afraid of seasoning or spice. I know a lot of people with children are afraid to use spices in their meals. I am telling you, don't. I cook with lots of salt and pepper, jalapenos, serrano peppers, my kids eat it all. I have on occasion made my meals a little hotter than my kids prefer but guess what? It didn't kill them. In lots of other cultures children eat much spicier food and they are fine.

-When learning, it is helpful to do the preparation ahead of time. If onions and peppers needed chopped, do that ahead of time. Overall it may take a bit more time but it will help until you get the timing of the recipe down. Once you are more confident you can chop and prep while other things are cooking. The key to the quick meals is multi-tasking.

-Don't be afraid to modify. I typically start with a recipe as a base and modify things as I see fit. This won't happen at first but as you get more confident feel free to substitute or add as you see fit. It never hurts to try.

I hope that helps some of you who are unsure about cooking or not really interested in learning. If I can do it, you can do it. Just get started, start slow, and you'll be amazed how quickly you make progress. Happy cooking!

A Grandparent is a Little Bit Parent, a Little Bit Teacher, and a Little Bit Best Friend

Author of quote unknown

Our third and last stop on our road trip to Virginia and North Carolina was my dad's house. My dad lives about an hour north of Charlotte in a small town that is somewhat rural. It is about a 7 hour drive from our house and this is the second time we've been down there since we moved to Maryland. He has also been to visit us several times. It is nice having family kind of close, even if it is two states away.

We spent time relaxing, just hanging out, and watching movies but we spent one day at this really cool local park called Dan Nicholas Park . Everything at the park is very affordable and there are more activities than you can fit into one day. It was especially hot and humid that day but we spent at least 5 hours there.

Here are some of the highlights:

We got to pan for gemstones. You bought an $8 ticket that gave you 1 bucket of gemstones, 1 carousel ride, and 1 train ride, sweet! The bucket was full of sand and you had to pan for gemstones and pull them out. After you are done you can bring what you find inside and they will tell you what gemstones you found.

My kids loved this! It was definitely the highlight of their day and we would do it again!

They had several of these painted peek-a-boo cutouts for pictures, this was near the petting zoo and nature preserve.

A Carousel ride is always fun!

This is what my 10 year old does when he is waiting for his sisters to finish lunch, play on toddler toys and pretend he is being "held up".

We also got to try the paddle boats on the lake. Every time I do these I remember how much work it is.

You could also feed the ducks. These baby ducks were too cute for me not to snap a shot.

They also had three of the best playgrounds I had ever seen. One with more climbing stuff, one more traditional, and one for toddlers.

Overall we had a great time, both at the park and visiting my dad and his wife.

Healthy Dinner Options - Tilapia With Green Beans

This is my family's favorite tilapia recipe. Even my son and I who are not big fish or seafood fans eat this up. The best part, the entire meal only has 306 calories. I found this recipe in the March 2010 issue of Food Network Magazine.

Ingredients

2 TBSP flour (a big handful)

1 TBSP oregano (dried spice) several good shakes

1 TBSP parsley (dried spice) several good shakes

Salt and pepper to taste

4 tilapia fillets

4 TBSP butter (unsalted)

1/2 pound fresh thin green beans

1 garlic clove

1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes halved (a whole tomato diced into large chunks can be substituted)

Juice of 1 lemon

1. Combine flour, oregano and parsley in shallow dish. Add salt and pepper (don't be shy).

2. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Dip fish in flour mixture, coating both sides. Melt 3 TBSP butter in skillet and add 2 fillets. Cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer to plate covered with foil (to keep warm). Repeat for other 2 fillets.

3. Add green beans and garlic to skillet. Cook about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper (don't be shy). Add tomatoes, cook until just softened, about 1 more minute. Stir in lemon juice and 1/4 water, cover and cook until beans are tender, about 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining TBSP butter until melted.

4. Serve fillet and green beans plated together, garnished with oregano.

Enjoy!