Road trip!

Tomorrow we are leaving for New Jersey to see a set of WFR's grandparents. We've made a similar trip once before but I am not remembering it that clearly (except the part where we were driving around in the dark, lost, looking for a hotel where we were supposed to meet his parents). So, it was either so bad that I've blocked it out completely or a piece of cake!

I finished all the laundry yesterday and the house is in pretty good shape. Today I collect and pack items for the drive and our bags. Not sure what time we're leaving tomorrow, it all depends on when Ian is able to leave work.

25 things I've done so far this summer...

1. worked chat reference a ton, earned the title of biggest "answerer" in May!
2. celebrated lots of birthdays - parties, cake and ice cream :)
3. met up with some old friends via Facebook
4. already paid for our zoo pass in visits
5. had a Mother's Day pedicure
6. went on a picnic
7. ate a Monte Cristo at Melt
8. became a little obsessed with Crocs
9. attended baseball games - Indian's and the kids' coach pitched
10. ate tons at a Father's day breakfast and then a bbq
11. got a Sam's Club membership
12. taking a quilt class at Stitch Cleveland (still not finished!)
13. met our possible future neighbors at a West Clinton Block Club meeting
14. look forward to Tuesday story time and swim lessons
15. applied for temporary health insurance
16. cut carbs from our diet, lost 12lbs!
17. kissed WFR after he hit his head on a driveway/sidewalk
18. let my locks grow long and become very frizzy
19. put up with terrible tenants for too long
20. spent money at the Tremont Yard Sale and Farmer's Market
21. put a few miles on the stroller by walking the neighborhood
22. feel like I go to Giant Eagle almost every day
23. felt under dressed at a City of Cleveland Architecture Review Board meeting
24. Roller Derby!
25. finally replanted the jade plant

Egg Hunt

Happy 1st Birthday William!

An entire year has gone by in a flash. On one had I can barely remember WFR as a newborn, it seems so long ago. On the other I can't believe he's already walking, starting to talk and getting into a lot of trouble. On to the birthday....

Since our apartment is pretty small we only were able to invite our families. This ended up being about 20 adults and 6 kids - the place was packed!

The menu:

BBQ and Carolina Pulled Pork - I used this Baking Bites recipe for the BBQ and referenced these 2 for the Carolina. Both turned out really good!

Four Cheese Macaroni from Allrecipes.com. I have never made mac and cheese from scratch before so I just picked the recipe that had received the best reviews. Everyone seemed to like it but I wouldn't make it again. I think I would go with a recipe that started with a bechamel sauce so it would be creamier.

My mom brought coleslaw and my mother-in-law brought her manderine orange salad. I also made a huge tray of tater tots - the kids (and I) love them.

I kept going back and forth about making or buying a cake. There are so many places that sell delicious cakes!!! But my mother guilt kicked in and I decided to bake one. Martha Stewart to the rescue! I made a practice cake the week before to make sure it wouldn't be a total disaster. The cake is what started the monkey theme - then came the invites, few strings of bunting to decorate the house, and his monkey shirt.

Gasparilla Weekend

We left our cold, snowy, Cleveland last Friday. The three of us hopped on a plane and went to Tampa to visit the sun and the Schweiterman Family. They are great hosts!

Friday - Got up early to make our 8:50am flight. WFR refused to nap and was a little cranky on the plane. Gregg picked us up and the boys quickly got the car seat installed. We went to their house, regrouped, did some prep work for the Boat Parade on Saturday and had a late Mexican lunch out. The college roommates stayed up way too late and had a bit too much fun. I know it's hard to believe but Baby Caiden is cuter in person than she is in her pictures!

Saturday - Cleaned ourselves up and headed to the Gasparilla Boat Parade. It took a few tries to get onto Davis Island but we made it! Lots of boats and people to look at. Left the parade and headed toward the after party at the SS Schwieterman. The small gathering turned into a pretty big get together. We ate Low Country Boil and watched babies play. Lovely company.

Sunday - Ian, WFR and I took a trip to Clearwater Beach. We had lunch at Crabby Bill's, walked on the boardwalk and then strolled down the beach. It was cool but sunny. I was amazed by how many people were laying out and how tanned they were in February.

Monday - The Schwietermans rented a cabana (aka Chickees) for us at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. We loaded up the babies, bags of toys and the sunscreen for a day of relaxation. We lived like rock stars for a few hours and loved every minute of it. I only wished it was a cabana boy instead of a cabana girl. The pool was heated but still wasn't warm enough to take a dip... the temperature didn't seem to bother WFR who loved splashing and kicking in the water. We took him out when he started shivering!

The weekend was really great. We had a wonderful time visiting with Liz, Gregg and Caiden. We talked for hours - about the past, how our lives have changed and the future. They are really great friends.

Children's Museum

Tuesday my friend had the day off so we went to the Children's Museum. I can see us spending many days there over the winter, especially when William gets a little bit bigger. He enjoyed playing with the musical instruments and having Sadie drive him around town.

Shipwrecked

I made a casserole the other day. It sure is casserole, crock pot, dutch oven weather around here. The leaves are starting to cover the ground. We turned on our heat and took our fleece jackets out of the closet. My nose and feet are cold when I go to bed.

This casserole surprised me. Honestly, I chose it because of the name and the fact I could use my food processor to slice everything up. It's easy to make and can be a really healthy dinner if you use brown rice and lean turkey. There are a bunch of versions online but this one is from the book Hot dish heaven : classic casseroles from Midwest Kitchens by Ann L. Burckhardt. I found it while browsing the library shelves after story time. (btw, why is story time only 6 weeks long? As soon as the parents and babies start to recognize each other, it's over. Don't worry...the next session starts in January! Really, does it take that much work for the children's librarian to get together a 20 minute program for babies once a week? If it does, someone please tell me why!)

Back to the food. I prepared all the ingredients and brought out my round 2.5 quart casserole dish. I started the layers and decided there was was way too many fillings to stuff into this dish. The recipe calls for one 2 quart dish. I ended up using two round dishes - a 2.5 and a 1.5. Another option might be using an 8 1/2 x 11 glass dish. I am pretty happy though because now I have a casserole in the freezer for another night.

Shipwreck Casserole

1 medium onion, chopped or sliced thin
2-3 medium potatoes, diced, grated or thin sliced
2 carrots, grated or thin sliced
1 lb regular or lean ground meat or turkey, raw, crumbled
1/3 c. uncooked white or brown rice
1-2 ribs celery, sliced
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste
1 can tomato soup
1 c. water

Heat oven to 350 degrees. (325 for glass casserole)
Layer the vegetables, meat, rice and beans in the order given in a 2 quart casserole, seasoning each layer lightly with salt and pepper. Stir soup and water together and pour over the layered ingredients. Cover and bake for 1.5 hours. Use a fork to test vegetables for doneness.