as promised...more delightfulness!!!

find myself finding more and more to be delighted about lately.

a new morning routine that beckham and i just kind of fell into. we cuddle in my bed where he puts his little feet under my legs to warm them up. morning milk warmed to perfection for the little guy while he rubs my face. i talk to him, but mostly he just listens quietly.

then, he watches morning cartoons or sits at his table and makes a picture while i make my cup of coffee. i read my emails, and play catch up with blogs that i enjoy and we wait for peyton to wake up. maybe i'll recieve an early morning phone call from my sister or a friend, and in between, i throw in a load of laundry or empty the dishwasher. i hear the hum of the appliances and it makes me feel that i have started the day off productively.

a lazy twenty to thirty minutes that i have come to crave and enjoy so much.

i am learning to be a little more organized too, and i feel the need to write it down because if i do i may stick with it:) getting the kids dressed fairly quickly after breakfast has helped so much. i know that the earlier i start the earlier we can get our day started. i'm not the mom who needs to be on the go, go, go everyday, but when we have planned activites...it helps!

we have been doing so many things with the kids and the kids are just...

so enjoyable to be around. getting bigger and talking more and more...i love spending time with them individually and together so much. more on that later.

i will be posting dinner ideas and recipes on here every once in a while because, one- i love to find new dinner ideas when i think i can't think of one on my own and, two- typing them here is an easy way to share them with people who often ask me for the recipes anyway, and most importantly-this is a digital diary for my kids and one day they will want mom's sauce recipe and here it will be.

bolognese sauce

EVOO

2 large onions

4-5 garlic cloves (maybe more, we love garlic)

2 celery stalks-rough chop

3 carrots-rough chop

1 pound Italian sausage

1 pound ground beef chuck

3 large cans of petite diced tomatoes-

obviously, jarred tomatoes made homemade are best, but i haven't tackled that yet even though my mom says its easy.

3 large cans of pureed tomatoes

1/2 cup italian parsley (fresh)-chopped

a bunch of basil (fresh)-chopped

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons of sugar or to taste to cut the acidity of the toms.

a chunk or a bunch of romano cheese-good cheese is key.

saute' onion and garlic until soft, add carrots and celery and cook for 5 more minutes. increase the heat and add the meat, cook until no pink. add toms, basil, parsley, cheese, salt and pepper.

very important...let cook for no less than an hour.

add the sugar and cheese.

i will cook my sauce for two-three hours.

enjoy!

more to be happy about...

~

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a clean kitchen and these little beauties on my table. i guess i like flowers...a lot:)

peyton is growing up so fast and we are so proud of her. she put this outfit together by herself. i love that she is finding her own sense of style with confidence and sense of pride.

...funky!!!

(she was actually posing for these pictures.)

then there is little beckham who just adores his big sister. constantly looking to her for approval, for laughs, and fashion sense...ha ha, okay, not so much! he just wants a 'football' shirt on over everything.

he cracks us up.

random randomness.

i am blogging tonight with no clear plan or story to tell. very freeing. this is kinda fun. in the morning i will wake-up, enjoy my first cup of joe, cuddle with the kids and then it will hit me like a ton of bricks... i posted the night before, exhausted, listening to sappy feel good music, and with a nice coffee buzz going on-interesting blogging combo.

picture: slipper over slipper action while sprinting to my computer. hehe



lets start with the fact that i want to move into this store and live for a while!

i often fantasize that i will win some freakish contest and this store will pick me and 3 other people that i get to choose, choose any things that i would like to put into my house... for free! (or at an insane discount...we're talking like 95% off-you know, bascially free:) i know it's kind of a materialistic fantasy...but hey, it's my fantasy! it's kind of like fantasizing about winning the lottery, but better because not as many people would want to win this prize, therefore my chances would be much better than those of winning the lottery. well, that's my theory.

i am pretty sure i would sleep in the fabric department...i love colorful fabric.

all different kinds and textures. of course, i can't do a darn thing with them bc i don't use a sewing machine, but i adore them just the same and relish the idea of visiting a quaint little fabric store with rolls and rolls, and walls covered with the colorful threads just waiting to be made into something special.

i love romantic stuff too...ruffles, rhinestones...large buds placed in a creamy vases.

i would spend most of my time in the vintage and antique

departments because i have realized something about myself, the older i

become, the more i appreciate things with history...a past.

unperfect beauty of an old peice of furniture with

chips and cracks, made solid. made to last.

not so much that my house would look like a museum,

but just some touches here and there.

on another note: i think these aprons are soooo fun and different...

just sumthin' bout fresh flowers! yummy.

i just wanted to post this pic. i didn't take it,

but it's so new york street fair-ish.

happy we had dinner with gramps and sheilah before they left for michigan!

my silly guys!

lifting up furniture to vaccum , leaving the room for a sec and then finding her like this.

my kids are monkeys...i'm cool with it!

it's popcorn people.

i love that my girl is always wanting to learn new things.

we bought this for a buck at a garage sale-she LOVES it.

she's pretty good too!

this recipe rocks my world. it's SUPER easy and inexpensive. i always have the ingredients,

so it's perfect for last minute treats for get togethers.

they have been around for a while but i learned about them more recently.

no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies

2 cups of sugar

1/3 cup cocoa (i use hershey's)

1/2 cup milk

1 stick unsalted butter (i didn't say they were healthy)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup peanut butter ( i add more bc it's my favorite part)

2 1/2-3 1/2 cups of rolled oats ( i use quaker )

in a saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, cocoa, milk, and vanilla.

bring to slow boil and simmer until sugar has dissolved.

stir in peanut butter, remove from heat, and stir in oats.

drop mixture by heaping tablespoonful onto parchment. let cool.

they look like cow piles.

i've been thinking how busy we have been lately. we have been soooo busy.

we have taken turns being sick, and with sick babies come

late-night cuddles, urgent care, cold cloths, motrin in 6 hours cycles, pedialyte,

3 am calls to the doctor and

then hanging up and crying alone in the dark out of pure fear, exhaustion, and vulnerablity.

being more scared than i should have been and

knowing it is because i just love her so much.

did they miss something? how many more days can she run a high fever and be okay?

should we go the emergency room? am i being to cautious or not cautious enough?

should i take her to another doctor to be sure it's just strep throat?

then, more cuddles, more loves, more of all the good stuff.

the stuff that makes me happy that i'm the mommy.

I'M the ONE they want. nobody else will do but me.

i love that. i relish that. i eat it up.

peyton not feeling well and beckham wanting to make

her feel better so he ran over and laid beside her.

peyton rested her head on him for the longest time. yes, i melted.
so happy and relieved that my peyton is feeling better!!!

more to come later!

can i say the word 'random' one more time?!

xoxo