Sunday, December 19, 2010

Our Family Christmas






Every year we look forward to the special night in December when we exchange a few fun little gifts under the Christmas tree with just our little family. Although we can't wait to go see grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters, brothers, and friends, there is something so special about a quiet night together at home. Here are a few snapshots to share...

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Our little reader


Sometimes I hear a suspicious silence as I am folding laundry that indicates Harkin is doing something she shouldn't be doing.
One of her favorite activities when I'm not looking-- drinking toilet water out of the cup we use for bath time.

Considering that this is usually the case, it melted my heart when I peered into her room today to catch her doing something else. For 10 or 15 minutes she sat quietly in her blue-polka-dot chair "reading" a teeny tiny book that one of my students once gave me (entitled: Teachers). There is no question she has been picking up some behaviors from mommy, who can often be caught reading in her chair while Harkin is hard at play :)

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Halloween Fun!







Dragons, and monkeys, and hot dogs... oh my!
Tonight we continued our annual tradition: pumpkin carving followed by pumpkin pancakes and lots of good times with friends!


Friday, October 22, 2010

Creamy Tomato Mess


This one goes out to those of you whose husbands are not arriving home to a Martha Stuart dinner, a clean house, or a wife that still has her sanity.

Oh, how hard I tried... On a cool October night I envisioned my husband walking in to creamy tomato soup & grilled cheese coming off the stove. Me, in my elegant black hoodie and corduroy pants would greet him at the door with a smile and kiss.


WRONG. Just moments before my hubbies arrival I transferred the chunky tomato soup to the blender. With one flick of the switch this chunky dunky soup would turn into a creamy dreamy delight. FLIP. What the &*%$^$#?!??



What the soup recipe failed to mention was that if you put lots of soup in the blender, most of the soup will end up on your walls, cupboards, floor, and every other possible surface, crack, and crevice within a twenty foot radius.

So what did I do. I stomped my foot, said some bad words, stripped the outside layer of my clothes and stepped away from the tomato mess, before I lost all control. It's just tomato soup... It's just tomato soup... I repeated calmly to myself. And now, having blogged for a few minutes I am ready to go clean up this mess and then possibly order a pizza.

Happy Friday people...

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Fall Harvest Pasta


Made a delicious fall pasta tonight. Very hearty and healthy with all that squash!


FRESH VEGETABLE PASTA

Even though butternut squash is a winter squash, you can find it in larger supermarkets this time of year. It's packed with vitamins A and D. To lower the amount of sodium in the recipe, use a low-sodium broth and reduce the amount of saltcalled for.

Preparation Time: 25 minutes minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes minutes
Other Time: 30 minutes minutes
Yield: Makes 6 servings

1 (2-pound) butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
Vegetable cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 cup chopped leek (about 1 medium)
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half
16 ounces uncooked penne pasta
1/2 cup frozen baby sweet peas
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/4 cup shredded Italian three-cheese blend
Garnish: fresh sage leaves

Place squash cubes on a large aluminum foil-lined jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle
squash with 1 teaspoon oil, and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Toss
to coat.

Bake at 425° for 25 to 30 minutes or until squash is tender and golden, stirring occasionally.
Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add leek, and
sauté 5 minutes or until tender and lightly browned. Add garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Remove from
heat, and set aside.

Process butternut squash, vegetable broth, and half-and-half in a food processor until smooth.

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and oil. Add peas to boiling water during
last 2 minutes of cooking time; drain.

Return pasta and peas to pan. Stir in leek mixture, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon chopped sage, and crushed red pepper. Add processed squash mixture, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with Italian three-cheese blend. Garnish, if desired, and serve immediately.

CALORIES 386 (11% from fat); FAT 4.8g (sat 1.3g,mono 1.7g,poly 0.3g); IRON 3.6mg;
CHOLESTEROL 3.3mg; CALCIUM 132mg; CARBOHYDRATE 73g; SODIUM 1149mg; PROTEIN
14g; FIBER 6.1g

Southern Living, APRIL 2005

Monday, August 9, 2010

A Mommy & me outing at Wollaston Beach






Perhaps the murkiest beach in Boston come mid-afternoon low tide, we had the whole place to ourselves.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

1st Birthday video part 2...

Happy Early 1st Birthday Harkin!

A very special weekend with Grandmo, Papa, Ya-Ya, and GP.
Thanks for the memories you guys!

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

TO DO:

1. Watch Oprah
2. Take a nap
3. Sleep in
4. Read a book
5. Sit
6. Be still
7. Think for a minute
8. Play


Life is good.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Bad parenting 101


The best part of today was when I went to the door to get a package, and as I'm signing for the package the UPS guy says: "Maam, the baby has a beer bottle in her mouth..."


Contrary to what this UPS guy probably thought we do not serve beer to our 1 year old. We are still working up to straight up milk. We do, however, need to move our recycling stash...

Monday, April 26, 2010

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Harkin's new room & Ruby's Birthday!







In an effort to make the most out of my last vacation day I gave Harkin's room a makeover.
Today we also went to Ms. Ruby's 1st Birthday party!!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Aunt Mackenzie teaches Harkin to dance...

So maybe the Ke$ha lyrics are not age appropriate but Harkin definitely has her Daddy's moves...

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Kiddie Park







Travis has always spoken of the day when he would once again ride the "choo-choo" at kiddie park.
Today he lived that dream...

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Now what?

Welcome to our family blog. We are not quite sure what to do with it yet, but happy to occupy a tiny piece of cyberspace.
When we think of something interesting (or not so interesting to share) we'll be sure to post it here. We are also excited to post pictures, videos, and other fun Harkin updates for those of you across the miles.