the Life and times of the Musical Nomads...

Sunday, February 22, 2009

OHhhhhTOOTHY

well as a sensitive mommy does ......especially since I have this flu THAT CAME TO KILL ME I BELIEVE........ I BEGAN TO TEAR UP.... well I knew for weeks that this day would come The first tooth to leave Izzy's mouth and make way for the permenant residents ..BUT as a mom and did I mention SENSITIVE to a fault I cried a tear or two when she wiggled it into Frenzy at the kitchen table Saturday night. Dad approached it with zeal!! and pliers .

I flipped out at the mention of such a thing, he loves to pull chains and none are more fun and better to pull than MINE.

so off they went into the bathroom to plot the PULL .....in the end she did it herself couple of good tugs and it was free of her perfect little mouth.

its always in these small times your mothers words come to visit you.

"wait till you have children , then you will know how a mothers heart feels."

KLEENEX anyone.................................?

Saturday, February 21, 2009

YummyCherries

well I am done ! it should have been done last week but the "CRUD" came to get me and I havent been up to par! but I descided to fight back today and finish Izzy's cherry Dress ! she is so funny its so cute how excited Kids get over stuff.
she told me she never wants to go shopping for dresses again! YOU CAN DO THEM ALL MOMMA!!

Oh boy.....this might be a bit tricky..........I might have to go buy wedding material soon so I can finish on time LOL anyway the Cherry Out fit is ALMOST complete....she asked if I could make a "small" purse to go with it........
back to the sewing room I go.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Treasures

my love of antiques and my "NUTHIN BUT TIME" schedule especially when Dillon is napping and Izzy is at school leaves me open to researching my own antiques and where they came from how old they are and for the collector HOW MUCH ARE THEY WORTH??? well I have come across some very fascinating facts about my treasures and how excited was I to find out the worth of some of my very favorite things. even Davin had his eyebrow raised when I told him how much some of our pieces go for ....BUT as husbands will do........his next sentence was "So when can we sell this stuff" oh well not everybody gets it !
the tea cup below was from my aunt Belmira , she was my paternal grandmothers sister And for some reason she loved me. I think it was the fact my dad was my grandmothers 1st born and Bella was very young when he was born so they were close growing up Funny that many many years later my father married a much younger woman (my Mom) and had me the Youngest of all the grandchildren.....28 grandchildren I was number 28
after my father died I would go and visit her and her husband, she would always make the best black tea and serve it with yummy Stella Dora cookies I always admired her pretty tea cups. bit by bit she would gift me items from her home saying to me " oh I don't have any use for this anymore would you like to have it?" I would NEVER SAY NO ! such beautiful things that she collected over the years , I adored them all and have them all and most importantly use them happily thinking of her every time.
I was so happy she got to meet my Boyfriend who became my husband 2 years later .
sadly she passed away before my wedding .it broke my heart But in my heart I feel she sees us using our lovely treasures she so lovingly gave me so not so long ago.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

BrAnDNewBAG

Well I feel like someone ran me over !
when fatigue hits BOY it Hits hard!! head cold sorta thing on top of it all BLAHhhh
I felt alittle better this evening so I finished izzy's craft bag! she wanted a bag she could put pens and pencils in and her notebooks she takes on car rides in.
so I used some of the suede patches I scored at the Fabric store along with scraps from other projects she loves her bag and I relaxed a bit while feeling BLAH!!!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Hats

Don't ya just love goofy hats??
you don't?
well I do!!
life is so complicated at times and funny clothes and hats make gloomy times bareable NOT to mention FUN!!!!
I took a stab at FUN and HATS with this little beauty Izzy loves it and what goofy little girl wouldn't !! I have to admit I love it too !! But I think my crocheted buttoned flower is my favorite part! we giggled on how it matched Izzy's hoody top!

Monday, February 16, 2009

shopping

Us woman folk headed out today to do some fun shopping! I only wish I had not cheated on my gluten free life last night ....Oh Owwweeee! my tummy is a mess today BUT no belly crampin can stop a Gymboree sale!! cute bright colored shirts with sewn on flowers.... 1.99 HELLO!!!!!! yes I am grabbing those babies up! I splurged on a sweet shirt and tie for Dillon I could not resist the cars on the mini sized tie! toooooo cute and there is 3 times a year I will not upset myself with prices too much ....Christmas/Easter and Birthday Outfits! we go to church and we go out to dinner and we take family pictures so on these instances I spend a couple bucks more.

I am so excited about the latest fabric find , its for Izabel and I am so ready to start cutting that stuff up :)
I have always had a love for cherries on anything! one of my favorite websites which I feature its link below on the blog is Daddy O's and they have awesome rockabilly cutsey stuff ! and Cherries!!! earrings,on shoes etc....
so when I saw this fabric I was all over it like a yuppy at a starbucks!!!

I am going to settle in and start to cut as soon as I am off of here....Izabel wants to water color so I said SURE........

Sunday, February 15, 2009

WELL its time to prepare again for LENT !

I love the traditions, and keeping them alive for the kids is very important. This year on holy week Izabel will help with Easter sweet bread for the 1st time , I am so excited to teach her. we will head out today to church and to collect all the prayers and materials needed for the coming weeks. NEXT WEEK ..............MARDI GRAS!!! and then Ash wednesday services.

Mardi Gras or Carnival
Carnival, which comes from a Latin phrase meaning "removal of meat," is the three day period preceding the beginning of Lent, the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday immediately before Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of the Lenten Season (some traditions count Carnival as the entire period of time between Epiphany and Ash Wednesday). The three days before Ash Wednesday are also known as Shrovetide ("shrove" is an Old English word meaning "to repent"). The Tuesday just before Ash Wednesday is called Shrove Tuesday, or is more popularly known by the French term Mardi Gras, meaning "Fat Tuesday," contrasting to the fasting during Lent. The entire three day period has now come to be known in many areas as Mardi Gras.

Carnival or Mardi Gras is usually a period of celebration, originally a festival before the fasting during the season of Lent. Now it is celebrated in many places with parades, costumes, dancing, and music. especially the Portuguese culture , the French culture of Louisiana, and some of the Caribbean cultures such as Trinidad, Many churches now observe Mardi Gras with a church pancake breakfast or other church meal, eating together as a community before the symbolic fasting of Lent begins.

RECIPYS , YUMMY ...easy ...Inexpensive ....

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Pork

Ingredients
3 cups cubed peeled potatoes (Idaho or Yukon gold)
1 cup chopped onion
3 pound pork roast, trimmed
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Salt
Directions
Arrange potatoes and onion in bottom of slow cooker. Place pork on top of potatoes and onion. Spread garlic all over pork.
In a medium bowl, whisk together water, ketchup, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, mustard, black pepper and salt. Pour mixture over pork.
Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
Slice pork crosswise into thin slices and serve 12 ounces for this meal. Serve with all of potatoes, onions, and sauce
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Salmon Steaks with Ginger

Prep: 5 min, Cook: 10 min.
2 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
2 Tbs. sesame oil
4 salmon fillets, about 6 ounces each
8 slices lime
Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Heat oil in a heavy nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add salmon and dot with half the butter mixture. Cook about 5 minutes or until browned on one side. Turn, dot with remaining butter and cook another 4-5 minutes until salmon flakes easily when tested with a fork. Garnish with lime slices.

Per serving: calories 487, fat 23.6g, 45% calories from fat, cholesterol 181mg, protein 63.7g, carbohydrates 1.9g, fiber 0.5g, sugar 0.6g, sodium 367mg, diet points 12.1.Dietary Exchanges: Milk: 0.0, Vegetable: 0.0, Fruit: 0.1, Bread: 0.0, Lean meat: 0.0, Fat: 3.7, Sugar: 0.0, Very lean meat protein: 9.5
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Almond Dijon Baked Chicken
Prep: 5 min, Cook: 20 min.
4 boneless skinless chicken breast fillets
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2 Tbs. mayonnaise
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
Preheat oven to 375°F. Place chicken in a lightly greased baking pan. Blend mustard and mayo together and spread on top of chicken. Top with almonds. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked.

Per serving: calories 351, fat 16.6g, 43% calories from fat, cholesterol 110mg, protein 45.7g, carbohydrates 4.0g, fiber 2.0g, sugar 1.1g, sodium 220mg, diet points 8.5.Dietary Exchanges: Milk: 0.0, Vegetable: 0.0, Fruit: 0.0, Bread: 0.0, Lean meat: 0.5, Fat: 2.7, Sugar: 0.0, Very lean meat protein: 5.5

ALFREDO sauce
this sauce can be mixed with just pasta OR
kick it up with cooked chicken or shrimp!
Alfredo Sauce:
1 pint heavy cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Freshly cracked black pepper
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
To prepare alfredo sauce: Heat heavy cream over low-medium heat in a deep saute pan. Add butter and whisk gently to melt. Sprinkle in cheese and stir to incorporate. Season with freshly cracked black pepper. In a large stockpot, cook pasta in plenty of boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Quickly drain the pasta and add it to the saute pan, gently toss the noodles to coat in the alfredo. Transfer pasta to a warm serving bowl. Top with more grated cheese and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Facts That Can't Be Ignored...

- The average parent spends 38.5 minutes per week in meaningful conversation with their children. (A.C. Nielsen Co.)

- Family dinners are more important than play, story time and other family events in the development of vocabulary of younger children. (Harvard Research, 1996)

- Frequent family meals are associated with a lower risk of smoking, drinking and using marijuana; with a lower incidence of depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts; and with better grades in 11 to 18 year olds. (Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 2004.)

- Adolescent girls who have frequent family meals, and a positive atmosphere during those meals, are less likely to have eating disorders. (University of Minnesota, 2004)