SWEET MORNING ~

I had to grab my camera to catch this sweet moment. Anthony was petting and stroking Penny and you could just see the love ~ it was so very sweet.

Penny will be 2 years old next week and we still cannot believe how lucky we are to have found such an incredible dog! She has a great personality and I would even say she has a sense of humor...which is key in our house!

Each of the boys have a great relationship with her; Eddie loves to lay all over her and really test her! Anthony loves to jump around, laugh and yes, just be content to sit and pet her...

What a sweet morning . . .

"Little Bit More"

What wonderful weather we are having here in N.Y. ~ it hit 70 degrees, and as I write this post Anthony is in his shorts-wearing-glory running around with his friends. As many of you know, Anthony loves to be in short sleeves, shorts, tank tops...basically summer wear. However, it becomes a problem when it is barely 50 degrees in the morning and he is begging to wear shorts, "because they said it's going to be really hot out" , later on!!!

While Anthony was still in school, Eddie and I headed over to the beach by my parents house for some fresh air, sun and playing in the sand! Eddie had a blast and so did I, walking along the beach and just being with Poppy and "Ma", as Eddie calls my mother!

















Here is my "bathing beauty" posing on the rock :)








Eddie could have played for hours in the sand, digging, making "sand castles" out of sticks (don't ask) and burying rocks. I was sorry to tell him we had to leave to go to the bus stop for Anthony... whenever he has to stop something he's doing, Eddie's famous response is, "just a little bit more"... I warned him in advance so he would have lots of little bits more to play at the beach...

sorry Anthony, but I promise we will go to the beach next week during Spring Break ~ hope the weather holds up for my promise!

Spring has Sprung !

I think it's really happened...Spring is in N.Y.! The boys have been outside (nonstop) playing baseball, kickball ~ that's Anthony; and Eddie has been playing trucks and going on the swings! What a nice weekend.

Well, I know I forgot last Sunday to post a recipe, but that's just me - I can be forgetful... anyway, this is a weekend favorite:

PUFF PANCAKES
The pancake:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour

The topping:
1 lemon, sliced in half
2 Tbs confectioners' sugar

1 Heat oven to 425 degrees. Divide butter between two 8-inch round cake pans, and put in the oven to melt. Meanwhile, mix eggs, milk and flour in until batter is smooth.
2. Remove pans from oven and pour half the batter into each pan. Return pans to oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until pancakes are very puffy, firm and golden-brown on edges.
3. Squeeze lemon over pancakes, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve.

They are yummy-licious!! Enjoy!

HAPPY SPRING ALL !!

Yes, I'm showing snow pictures on the 1st Day of Spring! A lot of the snow has melted here, but you can still see the "white stuff"!


Anthony has always loved to help out around the house, but now that he is getting older he runs off with his friends the first chance he gets. Here he is shoveling a path for Penny by the back door.















Here is Eddie earlier in the day playing in the snow with Penny. They both had such a great time together. Penny is a great playmate, she loves to jump around and bite snowballs ~ I was laughing so hard just watching them :)

*Hopefully this will be the very last snowfall of the year. It's expected to warm up by the end of the week in NY ~ yeah!!

THE DAYS GO BY . . .

5 Months LID Today !!!

This past month flew by ~ I cannot believe we've been logged in for 5 months already!

I had a dream last night and I think it was about Mia. Someone gave me a baby and she needed a bath. I remember in the dream I kept looking at the baby and thinking, "does she look Chinese?"
After the bath I was drying her off and I got distracted by something and when I looked back at the baby she was eating my foam ear plugs (I've been sleeping with one ear plug for years, since living in the noisy city!). I was panicked and I kept swiping the ear plugs out of her mouth! This baby had a ton of those ear plugs in there and I thought I would never get to them all!!! I ended up waking up; but I wrote this dream in Mia's journal ~ this date may have some significance and I wanted to record it! Only time will tell ~

FORGOT TO SHARE A RECIPE!!

Hi, Sunday came and went and I've been trying to share a recipe once a week with you! Now, maybe you didn't miss it on Sunday, maybe you didn't like the recipe's I've shared so far...but, it's my blog and, "I'll share, if I want to!" :)

I just finished making a double batch of these muffins...hope you enjoy them as much as my family does:

BEST BANANA-CHIP MUFFINS
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 mashed bananas
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups flour
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350 degrees
1. Cream together sugar, oil and egg.
2. Add the next 6 ingredients and stir well.
*3. I usually sprinkle a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon on top of the muffins before they go into the oven.
4. Cook 20-30 minutes and enjoy!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEXA !

Our niece, Alexa is 10 years old today!!
Have a wonderful birthday honey ~
we love you so much!!

PROUD!

ANTHONY WON A 1st PLACE TROPHY
IN CHESS!

I am busting with pride! Friday night was the last Chess class for the winter season, and Anthony was tied for 1st place with another boy: each Friday night Anthony attended a class and then played 2 games where his score was recorded. He & Taylor were tied!

They had a ceremony in the auditorium; where we found out that Anthony would have to play for the 1st place trophy! Talk about pressure!! They even took out the Chess clock and had 5 minutes to make each move - then they would have to hit the clock after each move - I was biting my nails!

Anthony handled the pressure well and afterwards when I asked if he was nervous he said, "I wouldn't really say I had butterflies in my stomach, but I think they were chess pieces in my stomach".


It's a tie for 1st place!

I love the way he has his hand over
his heart ~ such concentration!







"Is "Nan" done yet?"











After winning, Anthony plays
a game with his teacher! Of, course
the teacher won this game...







Anthony calls his Uncle Johnny (his first
chess teacher) when we get home to tell
him the good news!









"Did you win one for me too?"










Congratulations Honey! We are so proud of you!

Angel Boy ~

March 10,2005: I will never forget you.

So many months I carried you and couldn't wait to see
What a wonderful little person you would turn out to be.

I had many dreams of how it would be just to watch you grow,
But now those dreams are faded because I shall never know.

For God in His great wisdom, looked down from his throne above,
and saw how beautiful you were, so carried you away with His love.

Now the rocking chair sits silent, and the lullabies won't be voiced.
But in Heaven there's celebrations, as all the Angels rejoice.

My tears they won't be quiet, they flow like a river roars.
And I know life is changed forever, to be the same no more.

I must be a special mother, because I have been set apart.

Some mothers carry their children in their arms,

But I carry you in my heart.

By Beverly Tinney

*To my blogging friends: So sorry to have such a sad post today; however, I must honor my angel boy. We never did meet him, but we will never forget him ~

MEAGHAN GRACE MIN !

HERE SHE IS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SHE IS BEAUTIFUL!!!!

SHE IS PRECIOUS!!!!!!

See Meaghan Grace's blog ~ (on the sidebar) for all her stats!

We are so very thrilled for Meaghan and her family ~
Congratulations!!!

A JOYOUS PHONE CALL!

I just received a phone call from "Meaghan Grace's" mom ~ she was contacted by her agency; and was told she will get her
REFERRAL TODAY!
Referrals for Oct 19 & 24th 2005 are here! We still have another year, as we are logged in on 10/16/06; but I almost feel like I am going through the "labor pains" with Meaghan's mommy!! I am so excited and on edge~ I will keep you posted!

Another Yummy Recipe!!!

Here is one of my favorite recipes ~ it is yummy and SO easy to make! I hope you like it:

Slow Roasted Garlic and Lemon Chicken
1 chicken (31/2 to 4 lb.) cut into 10 pieces
1 head garlic, separated into unpeeled cloves
2 lemons, cut into chunky eighths
3 Tbsp. olive oil
10 Tbsp. white wine
Black pepper
Small handful thyme

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Put chicken pieces into roasting pan, add garlic cloves, lemon chunks & thyme.
3. Add oil and, using your hands, mix everything together - make sure chicken pieces are skin-side up.
4. Sprinkle white wine over and grind on some pepper, then cover tightly with foil & put in oven, at flavor intensifying low heat, for 2 hours.
5. Remove foil and turn up oven to 400 degrees. Cook the uncovered chicken for another 30 -45 minutes, by which time the skin on the meat will have turned golden brown and the lemons will have begun to scorch and caramelize at the edges.
6. Serve right from the roasting pan (I serve it will rice!)

*I love that you don't have to peel the garlic and the lemon is cut into large chunks! Enjoy!