Valentine's Day Week!

Due to all of the snow the governor of Maryland declared that Valentine's Day would be celebrated from 2/14-2/21. We went along with this! I had a Valentine playdate scheduled for last weekend that had to be moved to this weekend because there was just nowhere for any one to park!

Blake last Sunday on his first Valentine's Day. This is our last, first holiday!

Caleb opening the presents that Cupid left.

Caleb and my niece fingerpainting. This was Hanna's first experience, she did great!

For lunch we had heart shaped pb & j sandwiches with apple angel wings!

The kids then decorated their own cupcakes with sprinkles, sugars, and candies!

I love holidays!!! As soon as company left I took down Valentine's and put up St. Patty's decorations!

Homemade Soft Pretzels

We are now on day 10 of our unexpected snow vacation! All of the free time has caused me to try some domestic things that I don't have time for. One of my facebook friends, Stacey L., shared a recipe for homemade soft pretzels and I gave it a whirl. Though a bit time consuming, they were fantastic! As you can see from the picture below I need to work on my pretzel forming skills, but again they tasted great (so who cares?). I am interested in maybe getting a bread maker soon and trying out some other bread like recipes!

Homemade Soft Pretzels
(From crafster.org)

2-3 cups bread flour

1 tsp yeast

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees, or about a minute in the micro)

1 tsp. salt

Mix all of these together until they form a ball. Start with 2 cups of flour and then add it a tablespoon at a time until it becomes workable with your hands. Knead the dough for 5 to 10 minutes. Let it relax for 5 more minutes.

Meanwhile, get a pot of water and 4 tbsp. baking soda to a simmer. Cut your dough into 6 pieces. Roll them into "snakes" and make the pretzel shape. Carefully, with a spatula, dunk the pretzels into the simmering water for 5 seconds. They should begin to float. Take them out and place them on a greased cookie sheet (I put my pretzels on aluminum foil sprayed with Pam and still had trouble with sticking, use lots of grease!). Sprinkle with Kosher salt and bake for 12 to 14 minutes at 425 degrees.

Snowmageddon the SEQUEL/Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast

It looks like we will once be snowed in and stuck again for a few days. For the second time in less than a week we are under a blizzard warning in Baltimore. I am truly beginning to wonder if this is the end! :)

Fortunately we were able to sneak out for a few minutes yesterday afternoon before Snowmageddon the sequel struck. We visited Storyville at the Rosedale library. Above is Blakey in their "baby garden." It won't be long that he will graduate the baby garden as it is only for babies that are not walking yet. Caleb enjoyed running around and reading with Daddy.

After the library we met Jason's parents and my niece Hanna at Longhorn. I had Parmesan crusted chicken and it was so delicious it was crazy.

Here is my backyard currently!

A few weeks ago my cousin Diane shared Rachel Ray's recipe for Peanut Butter and Jelly french toast that we bookmarked on our computer. This morning my wonderful husband got up and made it for us. It was "delish" as Rachel would say! If you're snowed in you most likely have all the ingredients, give it a try!

Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast (Taken from RachelRayMag.com)

Ingredients:
½ cup peanut butter
8 slices sandwich bread
½ cup jelly (any flavor)
5 large eggs
1/3 cup milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons butter
½ cup maple syrup, warmed

Directions:

1. Spread the peanut butter on 4 bread slices and the jelly on the other 4 slices, and combine to make 4 sammies.
2. In a wide, medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla.
3. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. When the butter is almost melted, dunk two of the sammies into the french toast batter and let the excess drip off. Place in the pan and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes for each side. Repeat with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and 2 sammies. Let cool slightly and cut into sticks; serve with the warm maple syrup.

Snowmageddon 2010/Caleb's 4th Birthday

This past weekend was the biggest snowfall I can ever remember in Baltimore! It started on Friday night, 2/5/10. At about 6:40 p.m. my backyard looked like this and we only had about an inch. Things were just getting started though!

By bed time, 10 p.m. we were nearing 3 inches:

Surprisingly I slept like a baby that night... as I was sleeping all heck was breaking loose outside as we went from a snow warning to a blizzard warning overnight. By the time I came down at 7:00 a.m. the next morning, my backyard had about 18 inches of snow and looked like this:

Around 2:00 p.m. the next day the snow finally stopped and we had 30 inches of snow in our backyard:

This historical snowstorm coincided with Caleb's 4th birthday! We had planned a party at Chuck E Cheese that unfortunately had to be cancelled. Caleb was a good sport about it and it actually turned out be an awesome day that I don't think I'll ever forget. He started his day by opening presents (it felt strangely like Christmas morning) and having a big, homemade breakfast. I snapped this shot to start our day!

As we were eating breakfast one of the local news stations (ABC 2 News) asked that people send in their snow pictures. I emailed the picture above and story and it was aired at least 3 times on Saturday and Sunday! Here is a link for a youtube video of him on television:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtZD1nC-wlM


Caleb asked for two things for his birthday. Books for his Tag reading system and...

the "Cheeseburger Song" by the Veggie Tales.

The insane part is that the snow last weekend only seems like the beginning. They are currently calling for 10-20 inches more tomorrow, Tuesday! In Baltimore we rarely get more than 1 or 2 small snowstorms a year (like 3-5 inches) so this is unprecedented! Schools are already closed Tuesday and Wednesday. I am predicting that we probably won't go back at all this week. I just hope I won't be teaching in July!

As for Caleb's birthday, it has been rescheduled for this Saturday. There is a chance of more snow, seriously. If this happens I think I am just going to combine Blake and Caleb's birthdays at the end of the month! I didn't want to do this so that they could each have their own special day, but this weather leaves me with no choice really!

My Baby is Turning 4!

On February 6th, 2006 at 5:21 p.m. my entire world changed when my Caleb was born. He has been such a blessing and I thank God for him every day (even on challenging days!). I can hardly believe that only 4 years ago he was this tiny. Everyone says to treasure every minute because they go by so fast. I feel like I've barely blinked!

Caleb's 1st birthday party eating the traditional Weidinger birthday cake!
Caleb's second, 2nd birthday party.

Caleb's 3rd birthday party!

Tomorrow we will celebrate his 4th birthday! A historical blizzard is coming through, but not even that will ruin our joy. We've had to reschedule his Chuck E Cheese party, but in some ways this may be his most memorable birthday. We have an entire day with just us and him. We're going to devote 100% of our attention to doing whatever he wants. We will post about our day of celebration soon!

Chicken Tortilla Chowder

The cold weather and snow had me craving something warm and hearty! This week I received my quarterly "Taste of Home" recipe magazine that was filled with easy soup recipes. The chicken tortilla chowder looked delicious and seemed easy enough to do. Just as the snow began to fall I ran to the grocery store to get the ingredients. It was delicious! The tortilla strips made for tasty noodles. Even my picky eater Caleb loved it! There are also tons of leftovers. I figure we'll have enough for lunch after church tomorrow (if it's not cancelled due to this unexpected 5-6 inches of snow) and I'll have enough for lunch at work on Monday!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 cans (10-3/4 oz. each) condensed cream of potato soup, undiluted

2 cans (10-3/4 oz. each) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted

2 cups 2 % milk (I used skim milk and it didn't seem to make a difference)

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 can (11 oz.) Mexicorn, drained

1 pkg. (10 oz.) ready-to-serve roasted chicken breast strips, chopped (We used half a package of the new Tyson frozen grilled chicken and it added a good taste... you could also use Perdue short cuts)

1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies (these were tricky to find in the grocery store, but ortega makes a small can of them... I don't like spicy foods so I only put a few spoonfuls in... Jason added extra to his bowl)

3 flour tortillas (8 in.), cut into 2-in. x 1/2 in. strips

1 cup (4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese

Additional shredded cheddar cheese, optional

In a large saucepan (I used a large, two handled pot), heat the soups, milk and broth, stirring frequently. Add corn, chicken, chilies; bring to a boil. Stir in the tortilla strips. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese until melted Sprinkle each serving with additional cheese if desired.

Fun 3 Day Weekend!

Today is MLK day! I love being a teacher on days like these! I am very grateful that I had today off as we are finishing a hectic weekend!

On Friday night I went out with my Mom and her friends to celebrate Mrs. Gloria's birthday.

On Saturday we had two birthday parties, each for a girl named Hanna(h)!

The first party was for my niece Hanna at the Bounce Party N' Play!

Caleb really got a workout running through all of the obstacle courses and going down the slides! I got a twisted ankle! Apparently since I've lost 30 pounds I think I'm invincible and decided to climb up a huge, inflatable wall. Not a good plan! I've definitely been humbled!

It is hard to believe that Hanna is already 2! It was only 2 years ago when she was this tiny:

She is happy and healthy now! God and modern medicine are amazing!

After Hanna's 2nd birthday we headed over to Hannah's birthday! This Hannah is my friend Bonnie's stepdaughter and was at an indoor pool. Unfortunately Caleb is still terrified of swimming after an incident a few years ago. I don't know what to do! I have been back and forth about putting him in swim classes. I would hope it would get him over his fear of the water, but I worry that being forced into the water would traumatize him! He spent the party watching the other kids swim and "guarding" the pizza (he said he was too busy to swim because someone had to guard the pizza!). It was fun any way!

On Sunday we spent the morning at church, I went to a coworker's baby shower, and then my family went to dinner. Whew!

Today I am not doing much! Just folding laundry, laying on the floor with Blake to play (Caleb is with my parents), and maybe making a quick trip to the post office and Target. I hope everyone is well! :)