Adventures in Potty Training

KK's little boyfriend is potty training and she has fallen in love with his potty chair, so we went ahead and got her one of her own. She's not quite 2 yet, but hey, it's never too early to start, right? I beg to differ.

You see, Super k is VERY independent, strong willed and pretty much has her own agenda. I'm sure it's something that will take her far someday and we will appreciate that character trait in her, but now... not so much.

Everything was going well, she was showing an interest and telling us that she wanted to go. Great! She was actually going potty. Proud moments for us. Then, she decided to take it upon herself to go on her own. Wow! Way to go Bean! Next thing we know, Ms. Independent is dumping her pee from the potty chair into the toilet. OK, a little spilled urine is not too horrible. But this obsession with her potty chair was getting a little weird. She was spending more and more time in the bathroom, which is OK. She can't do too much harm in such a small room. But, it seems as though those walls must have been closing in on her.


Why not have some water and watch a show?? Multi-tasking is a good thing to learn early on.

But this... this is going a little too far.


Naked baby in the back yard going potty is not on my list of acceptable things (but posting it?... Apparently, I have no problem with that).

Have a great day!

Lasagne or Lasagna... Either Way, It's Good!

When my mom moved from my high school (yes, high school, not childhood) home, I took a bunch of random stuff that she didn't want. One of those things was 'The Complete Cheese Cookbook' from Kraft, published in 1971 and purchased for $1.95 where I found my signature lasagne recipe. Who knew that you could find something so good in a cookbook that also has a recipe for Frank Whiz Macaroni?

I, as usual, have changed the recipe and have come up with this masterpiece.

Ingredients

2/3 pound ground turkey (or ground beef if you have to, but you won't miss it)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
Fat free Italian dressing
Worchestershire Sauce
Lawry's season salt
pepper
2 6-ounce cans tomato paste (I use 1 1/2 cans)
1 1/2 cups water
italian seasoning
6-8 lasagne noodles, cooked, drained
1 package frozen spinach, cooked, drained
15 ounce container of ricotta cheese, low fat
2-3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Brown turkey with garlic and onions; sprinkle meat with italian dressing, worchestershire sauce, season salt and pepper. Drain on plate with paper towels. Stir in tomato paste, water and italian seasoning. I use a lot of italian seasoning... maybe 1 1/2 tablespoons. Start with less first and add more to taste later. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. In a 8 x 8 baking dish, layer half noodles, ricotta, spinach, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese; repeat layers. Spinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve with salad and garlic bread.

Enjoy!!

Breathtaking...

I have been really busy with school stuff this week, so haven't been able to devote much time to posting. I wanted to quickly share these pictures that were taken along California's HWY 1 on the way to Big Sur, "The Greatest Meeting of Land & Sea".



More to come.

Happy Friday!

This Thing is Sooo Cool!!!

I love gadgets, gizmos, electronics... basically anything that does something cool. I always have. Can't really say why, I just do.

I happened to be talking to my neighbor on the phone while I was attempting to cut a pineapple and she asked, 'Don't you have a pineapple cutter?'. What? What is that? There IS such a thing? Where do you get on? Bring it over... I have to try this thing.

The pineapple cutter and it's victim.

First, slice off the top of the pineapple.

Next, stick the cutter over the core of the pineapple and then start screwing it in. (Notice that the tiny tornado has been threw the toy room).

When you get to the bottom and all the juice starts flowing out, pull the cutter out.

Walah! Pineapple rings, fresh pineapple juice that you can drink and a fun container to use for a party.

I love this thing!

Fun With Photoshop

This is one of my favorite pictures.


I thought it might be fun to play around with it. This is the result.


I love it even more.

Beef... It's What's for Dinner

I got this recipe from my friend Jenn, who got it from someone else. We changed it a smidge (as usual), but it is the easiest recipe for fajitas.

Yummy, Easy Fajitas

Ingredients

1 Flank steak (you choose the size)
Soy sauce
Honey
2 limes
2 cloves garlic, minced (fresh or jar)
1 onion, diced

Trim fat off the flank steak, unless you like yucky grizzel. Throw it in a plastic bag or large container for marinating. Mince the garlic and chop the onions; add to steak. Add enough soy sauce to almost cover the steak. Turn the honey bottle upside down and give it one good squeeze. Zest the limes (we think it adds a little extra), then cut in half, squeeze the juice into the marinade and throw them into the bag or container. Put in refrigerator over night (it can sit for an extra day if desired).

Heat grill to medium heat. If you don't have a grill, borrow your neighbors. Grill steak for 20-25 minutes until desired doneness (is that a word?) is acheived. Let steak sit for 5-10 minutes. Slice against the grain. Serve with grilled peppers and onions (place them in a packet of tin foil and grill along with the steak), sour cream, salsa, guacamole and tortillas.

Enjoy!

What is With Kids These Days?

Or better yet, what is with OUR kids? For those who don't know, e has a boyfriend from preschool that she is going to marry. They have gone even further than marriage...they have everything figured out. They are going to own a pet store and he will draw pictures of the customers pets and she is going to help with the store and raise the kids.

I shouldn't be suprised. This wasn't the first time she had a boyfriend. It started in Guam with this little boy who was three days younger than her.


They would hold hands and hug. My friend and I would joke about them getting married when they were older and it was funny...then.

Now, it's happening again.



Is it just ours, or do all kids do this??

Here's a Shout Out to the Anesthesiologists

Thank You!

Cool Navy Pictures

We have some really cool pictures from E's Navy career. Take a look.

This is the USS Providence, E's home for 335 days in 2001. Thankfully he doesn't mind small spaces.


A tomahawk launch from a submarine.

The Enterprise battle group in 2001.

E's ship in Guam, USS Frank Cable AS40. It is a submarine tender which means it's duty is to take care of submarines.


Look at the size of that anchor.

Here's a poor fella now in need of help.

The USS Kitty Hawk pulled into Guam

and brought a friend, but unfortunately, we can't remember her name.

This is one of the Kitty Hawk's helicopters in to get supplies. The maneuver is called a 'Vertrep', for vertical replenishment.

Guam welcomes the USS Nimitz.

That's a lot of supplies

and mail.

The Nimitz on the way out. It takes a lot to get one of these things turned around.


Have a great weekend!

Hidden Talents

I had originally planned on going a whole different direction with this post, but then I came across this gem in my photo library. Who knew that E had this kind of talent? Look at his face. He makes it seem so effortless. There are so many layers of complexity to this man, and that's why I love him.



Happy Friday!!

Mandarin Chicken...or Pork or Beef or Whatever

This is one of my all time favorite, go-to recipes. It's simple, healthy and darn good. Even our kids eat it (of course everything must be separated out so as not to touch and god forbid you put a red and green pepper in the same pile because they are not remotely the same). I adapted it from a cookbook that my Mother-In-Law so lovingly gave me entitled, 'Any Bitch Can Cook'.

Ingredients

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 1/4 lbs. pork tenderloin, or any meat or seafood)
1 T. vegetable oil
2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. soy sauce
2 green onions (with tops)
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
2 zuchinnis
1 head of broccoli
1/3-1/2 bag of baby carrots
1 tsp. minced ginger
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 T. soy sauce
2 tsp. chili sauce

Trim fat from chicken (meat); thinly slice. In small bowl, combine vegetable oil, cornstarch, salt, sugar, white pepper and 1 teaspoon soy sauce; add meat and toss. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Now for the vegetables. Slice peppers, carrots, and zucchini into thin strips. Chop broccoli and green onions, but separate them from the other vegetables. You are free to use whatever veggies you want...mix it up and get crazy.


Heat wok over medium high heat (water should dance when sprinkled in the wok). If you don't have a wok...go buy one. I am in love with mine that I bought at Cost Plus World Market. Coat the wok with vegetable oil. Add ginger and garlic and stand back...these babies love to splatter. Add meat and stir-fry until no longer pink. Remove from wok and drain onto a paper towel lined plate.

Add another small coating of oil to the wok. Add the peppers, carrots and zucchini; stir-fry for 3 minutes. Return the meat to the wok, along with the broccoli and green onions. Stir in 1 tablespon of soy sauce and chili paste; heat through.

Serve with rice, noodles, or alone.

Happy stir-frying!!

Ahh...Guam!

For those of you who don't know, we spent three years living in Guam. What, you ask? I said Guam. It is a small tropical island in the South Pacific. It's south of Japan, east of The Phillipines and north of Australia. Just grab a map...that's probably easier.

There are many things that you can find on Guam...

Stunning waterfalls,


beautiful white sand beaches,


thousands of hibiscus flowers,


breath taking views,


leagalized cock fighting,


cool resort living,


gorgeous rainbows,


but...

authentic Sesame Street characters is definitely not one of those things.

Off to School and Out of Sorts

How can it be that this little girl started her first day of Kindergarten yesterday? Gasp, sigh, argh! Our little girl is growing up so fast.

The first day went well. We set her alarm clock but we still had to wake her up. Then it was the mad dash to get both girls fed, ready and out the door. We didn't want to be late for school. God forbid we are late and are marked as Tardy. I was just dorky enough to strive for the perfect attendance award while I was in school (I'm sure that comes as no suprise to most of you) and will make darn sure that e does too. :)

Anyway, E and e are so much alike, neither like to eat right when they wake up. So, after eating a piece of cheese, a slice of apple and a sip of milk, she was ready to go. I wasn't going to argue about food this morning...we all know what the first day excitement feels like.


She thought it was so cool to wear a backpack just like Dad. Now that's a proud father.


There is just something about a picture taken from behind. It just truely captures the moment. I have a ton of them so surely that can be a post for another day. By the way, is anyone thinking that her backpack is way too big for her?


KK was a little out of sorts as well. She kept asking me all day where Daddy and e were hiding. Hard concepts to understand at this age.

We all pulled through alright and we'll get this school thing down soon enough.


Yep, that's our same wonderful girl.








Happy Back to School Season! Til tomorrow...

Buddy and the bird

Awwhh. Buddy, you used to be so small and innocent. You could do nothing wrong. And then, I come home on Saturday to hear what you had done. You are indeed a cat and must act on your instinct to hunt.

It seems to be that our boy Buddy was successful in his quest to bag him a bird. They have been taunting and teasing him so.

E came downstairs to find the living room strewn with feathers and this little guy, who took shelter in his hand.


He wasn't looking so good and we had no idea what to do. Who does one call when there is a hurt bird in your house? It doesn't seem quite seem like that's a typical vet duty. I certainly wouldn't know.


As we pondered, he started looking better.


Shortly after this picture was taken, he flew over to our china cabinet and took a poop. I don't blame him. I'd be scared too.


Until next time birdie...
(if you scroll down to yesterday's post, you will notice that I added the 'vibrancy' back to Buddy as LLN suggested)

Have a great day! See you tomorrow!