Christmas with My Family

A new camera from Mom Mom (among the dozen other gifts!)

Some special books- from Mom Mom!

Playing with Katie at the Mall kid area

The cousins

Katie and Celia wearing their matching nightgowns

We have had a great time in Virginia.  Pete and I got to go to Williamsburg for the night on Sunday night and Celia had a blast with Mom Mom.  It was the first night we have spent away from her, except for when I was in the hospital this summer.  That one doesn't count!!!  She did well.  She already doesn't want to go home because she doesn't want to leave Mom Mom.  We are making the long drive home tonight in the hope that Celia will go to sleep.  The trip down here was not fun!!

My Montage 12/25/09 at OneTrueMedia.com

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Christmas in pictures

I am tryinng to upload some videos too.  Please ignore the smudge in some photos, I didn't realize my lens was dirty until I took a few pictures!!!

Christmas 2008

Christmas 2009 (she does still like the moby, she didn't not want her picture taken).  Oh and in view of these pictures I am never growing my hair long again.  So do you think we can get this photo in next year, will she still be able to get into the Moby Wrap??

Homemade and starting traditions

The apron and the pants are both homemade by me.  I am not naturally talented at sewing like my mother and sister.  I have to rip seams up, hate,  don't like, can't follow patterns, jam up my sewing machine, and use "inappropriate words" while sewing.  But when I am in the mood, sewing is fun and it relaxes me.  I haven't made Celia pants since before I started working, meaning summer 2008.   So I found this great corduroy fabric on sale and I made her some pants.  They are okay.  The pattern accomodates a diaper, which she doesn't wear, so the crotch and butt are quite baggy.  I like projects like this though because I can make them in about an hour.  The apron has been in progress for a long time.  I have worked on it every so often.  I actualy started it this summer, just really would work on it for a few minutes here and there.  I didn't intend on finishing it for Christmas but I got in the mood last night and voila there it is.  Celia was curious so I gave it to her right there.  She was so excited to try cooking in it that we rushed upstairs to get out her play stuff and then she took it off and said "I'm all done, I don't like it anymore" and that was that.  I hung my head and fought back the tears.  I tied it onto the back of one of her little chairs and it now has a spoon and little rake in it.  At least she modeled for the picture.

She is getting a homemade blanket from me.  She needs a bigger blanket for her bed, not an adult sized one, just a "big girl' size one.  So we will see if she likes that.  I made it so that she can use it as a sleeping bag type blanket, or she can just lay underneath it.  It is funky looking and pink, she loves pink.

This morning I hope that I started a tradition with Celia, I hope to do it next year.  I bundled her up and we went over to Wegmans to get some ingredients for my cherry cheesecake that I making for Christmas.   I also wanted to buy an ornament with her.  Wegmans didn't have a huge selection, but I knew they also deeply discount them around this time.    We found a delicate angel with red wings that look like leaves, it is pretty.  Celia chose it.  We decided it was a gift for Jesus's birthday.  She does associate Christmas with his birthday, primarily because of her methodist daycare.  In anycase, these ornaments that I hope to pick out every Christmas eve are going to be her ornaments.  They will be the ones that she gets when she is grown.  Next year I am not so sure it will be a Wegmans trip.  The store was crazy- it was 8 am!!   I hope to expand it to breakfast with Mom too.   Breakfast with a two yearold is not all that relaxing, 3 will be better, right???

Celia is actualy over at my neighbors right now playing.  It isn't often that I don't have her and am not at work, it feels strange.  She was excited though!! 

Tonight we have our church's childrens service at 6pm and then may be going over to our neighbor's afterward.  I wish that the service was at 5.    6:00 is just dinner time to me!  But I am looking forward to dressing Ms. Celia in her christmas dress and seeing her have fun with all the songs.  Our children's service is extremly kid oriented, it is very cute.

Merry Christmas!

Fun in the Snow

Okay I should say more or less, Celia had fun being carried in the snow!!
Here are some pictures to enjoy.

Snow, Cookies, Bravery

Celia got her flu shot booster and her first h1n1 shot two thursdays ago. She received a sticker for her bravery. I really had a hard time with this as we do an alternative vaccine schedule and I don't like all of the aluminum that has gone in her little body. That said, she goes to daycare and she catches everything. The death rate of H1N1 in her age group is higher then I like, especialy since I am not sure what her RSV did to her lungs last year.

So on a happier note. Guess what we have alot of, alot alot alot, of??? Snow!! They say we only have 15 inches, although 30 min. away Philadelphia has 22 inches. It sure looks like it is more like 18 inches at least. When we were out last night, it sure looked like 18 inches walking in it. So I think it is more like that. It is pretty. But why, oh, why couldn't this have happened on a Monday??? Two weeks of holiday break would have been sweet. Below are some pictures. The chair on our porch gives about a true picture of the snow total, but for some reason it didn't start accumulating on the chair until a few hours into the storm so we actualy have a little more. But I think that looks like 18 inches.

Look at the chair!

It looks just like we draped a blanket of snow over the bushes, doesn't it??

So what did I do? Well we didn't go out and play because it was a windchill of about 10, very windy, and just nasty (plus Celia and I are still recoverying from yucky colds). So I made two baby blankets, some laundry (Pete helped), some cleaning up, and some baking. Check out some of the things that were made.

Don't the gingersnaps look storebought (they aren't of course)?? So I am hoping for a two hour delay, not expecting a closing tomorrow though. Only 3 days this week and then off for a little over a week. Is it bad that I then begin the count down to June??

I hopefully will post some snow playing pictures today.

I so want to win

So MckMama is having a giveaway of lightroom- I so want that. I really do. I can get an extra entry by blogging about it so I am.

Go here if you want to enter, but don't because I want to win.

Oh and I could win photoshop here. You could to, again though, I want to win!!!

Creamy Chicken recipe

Someone actualy commented and asked me for a recipe!! I am so happy, someone reads my blog.

In anycase, I found it.

The creamy chicken recipe (click on the words).

It was through a link from The Little Home. She got it from another blog. I used reduced fat cream cheese and I did use the frozen broccoli as we always have it in the house since it is Celia's favorite.

So if anyone wants any other recipe's let me know!! I am home sick today with a horrible cold. If anyone knows me, I don't take sick days that often so you know it is bad. Actualy, I called out yesterday afternoon for today becuase I did go to work yesterday feeling 10x worse. When I woke up this morning, I thought, I really could have gone. However now as I sit here in a fog, with a bright red nose, a killer headache, and cough- I am thinking I made the right decision. So some shopping online, blog reading, and then hopefully alot of sleep and I should be feeling better tomorrow- right??? Someone give me a break, I deserve it.

Donate some Babylegs

A family that lives not all that far from us lost their son to mitochondrial disease before Thanksgiving. Their story was on our local news because an organization was helping to renovate a house for them to live in to accomadate their 3 year old's wheelchair. Unfortunately, Gavin only briefly got to see this house when he had to be returned to the hospital. He fought a very hard battle. His Mom is collecting baby legs to donate to Dupont Hospital. Gavin basically lived in babylegs because with all the tubing, etc, it made it alot easier, almost a neccessity to go with out pants. Babylegs are leggings that fit up the entire leg. Celia has quite a few and they were so handy when she was really little and needing frequent diaper changing (especially when I would let her go around in her fitted diapers without a cover). I think they are awesome. Now that she wears underwear, they aren't as practical. But we still use them on some occassions. I want to get some of their new tights but I will wait for a sale. I did order her some of their socks, I didn't even know they made socks. In anycase, that is besides the point.

Right now they have free shipping and buy one get one free baby legs. So if you so desire, go on the babylegs site or Target.com and order some baby legs. I don't think Target has free shipping on them.

Use this mailing address:

Karen Owens
PO Box 985
Boyertown PA 19512

Gavin's story is also on the babylegs website. There are some beautiful pictures of Gavin on his website, if you care to read his emotional story. He reminded me some of a few of the students in the Multiple Disability Support program I used to work in, so I think that is what really touched me.

Click on the picture above for more information on the campaign. Here is the link to babylegs. They will match every pair donated up to 5000. So I donated 4 (buy get one free, so paid for 2! and so that makes 8)

Greatly Dissapointed and Two Week Menu

Okay, I know that someone reads my blog. I know that and it made me so sad that no one, not a single person commented on my last post. In anycase, if you wanted to know what the picture was about- Celia was playing baseball in the snow with the noodle. It actualy worked and we had fun.

Okay here is my two week menu, that no one will read again...

We didn't eat the sweet and sour chicken on last week's menu, I forgot some ingredients at the store so we settled for some turkey manwich instead- I had all the ingredients on hand. So here is the next 2 weeks.

Saturday- Plum Island Clam Chowder- the best clam chowder ever!!! I will try to find a link.
Sunday- Turkey Pasta Fagioli
1 lb lean ground turkey
1 minced garlic clove
1 c each diced onion, carrots., celery
1 can kidney beans, undrained
1 can great northern beans, undrained (or soaked dried beans)
2 - 15 oz cans tomato sauce
1 can low sodium chicken broth
(1 T vinegar, 1 ½ t salt,1 t Italian seasonings)
8 oz small shell pasta
Brown turkey along with onions, carrots, celery and garlic for 10 min on med. Add remaining ingredients EXCEPT pasta. Simmer for 30 min. Cook pasta al dente. Add to soup and simmer. I think this is more like a pasta dish rather then soup, I haven't made it in awhile. I may try it in the crockpot (adding the pasta 20 min. before serving)
Monday- Lasagna Roll-ups (frozen meal)
Tuesday- Brushetta Chicken Bake
Wednesday- Calzones (frozen in freezer, we didn't eat them last menu)
Thursday- Leftovers
Friday- Spaghetti
Saturday- out/ freezer item
Sunday- White bean and sausage soup
Monday- Creamy Chicken (frozen meal)
Tuesday- Skillet ziti and veggies
2 cups pasta sauce
2 cups water
8 oz ziti
1 package stir-fry veggies
Shredded provolone or mozzarella (about 3/4 c)
Combine pasta sauce and water in a skillet, boil. Add pasta and veggies, cover, lower temp, and simmer for 15 min. or until pasta is tender
Wednesday- Leftovers
Thursday- Blue cheese and dried cherry meatloaf

I have recipes for everything else, if anyone wants a recipe I haven't provided then leave me a comment and I will post it. Though no one comments when I ask. I do appreciate the few comments I have received. It is always cool to know that people are reading!!!

We have a somewhat busy weekend, at least for us. We are going to Longwood tonight to see the lights and then tomorrow Celia and I are going to my aunt's house for a few hours to get together with some relatives. Celia has not even met some of them!! As for me though I need to pack in cleaning, lesson planning, christmas stuff, and some exercise in there. I did (with Pete's help) 3 loads of laundry last night. So only the Sunday sheets and towels wash tomorrow.

Weekend adventures and Guessing Game

So this weekend was tiring but fun. Saturday we had Pete's company Children's Christmas Party. It was really neat, but a bit overwhelming for Celia. She wanted no part of Santa and give him a very tiny wave. She loved the dance room though! We didn't stay all that long because she started looking tired and we wanted her to make it home awake. If Celia falls asleep in the car no matter if it is 5 min or 60 min, she thinks that is her nap.

That afternoon Pete and our neighbor started working on putting quarter round in our living room and part of our kitchen. When we had our floors installed in Sept, we decided to do that our selves to save a few hundered dollars. Next time, I will just have them do it. It was a huge project for them and they didn't finish until today. So while they were working, Celia and I played with our neighbor's daughter, Amber. She loves her and was super excited. It snowed here on Sat too, enough to play outside. I had alot of fun and so did Celia.

Earlier when it first started coming

Okay, so our snowman is a bit pathetic. The pic above Mr. Snowman is Celia making snowballs with Amber's snowball maker. It does a nice job, however Celia referred to them as bouncy balls at first and was quickly dissapointed by their lack of bounce.

Here is the Guessing Game: Can you guess what Celia is doing in the picture at the top of this post??? If you can, well then the prize... Okay the prize is that you won. I will of course acknowledge who ever guesses and if you are a blogger, your blog. My traffic consists of about 5 to 6 people I think so I don't really expect many responses!!

Here is our tree, it isn't much at all. Pete and I got it years ago for about $14.99 I believe (the price gets cheaper in our mind every year) and it is a toothpick on steroids. We like it, it suits us, and it works well in our tiny house. Pete's hardwork this weekend excuses him for getting in his scrooge mood while decorating the tree. Next year Celia and I will do it by ourselves because that kind of thing puts him in a bad mood, go figure. It does every year.

So a good weekend overall, busy, tiring, but good. Oh and I got to go for a run/racewalk by myself, hooked into my ipod and in my own world. It was wonderful.