A Time to Work and a Time to Play

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace."

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

At our house this week, there was a time for work and a time for play. Or, rather, the two kind of coincided with one another.

James tackling Ryan in the leaves


Still tackling...

Then posing...

Ella wasn't really sure what to make of all the leaves

Ryan, on the other hand...

Then, at Daddy's prompting, Mommy was next to be tackled

I can hardly hold a grudge against a face that cute!


Yesterday, I looked out the window to see the following:

Back and forth, across the whole yard, James and Ryan mowing. I think somebody wants to be just like Daddy when he grows up! I couldn't think of a better role model, myself!

First Field Trip

Today was Ryan's first field trip with his preschool. We went to a local pumpkin farm! I woke up at 6:30 this morning and it was pouring rain...and. I. mean. pouring! The winds were projected to gust up to 40 mph! Fortunately, the rain held off, but the wind was whipping! Of all things to forget on my son's first field trip...I forgot the camera! Thank goodness for camera phones! Here are a few shots from today...sorry the quality isn't the greatest!



Ryan "giving Ella a ride" on the wooden toy tractor



Clearly they were both having fun!



Picking out their pumpkins

The pumpkin farm trip was a lot like our apple orchard trip. We went on a hayride, had cider and donuts and got to pick out a pumpkin to bring home. Isn't fall grand in NY?

What's Cooking?

I love to cook. I love to try out new recipes and add a little of my own "signature" to them. Sometimes it works...sometimes it turns out better when I stick to the recipe! These, however, are a couple of my favorite recipes and I have had several people ask me for them recently. I thought I would share with anyone who might be reading my blog. Please share your favorite recipe with me, too! Did I mention I love trying new recipes?

Tex Mex Bake

Ingredients:
1 bag success rice (I use brown...and when I don't have the boil in bag rice I use instant rice and make 2 servings according to box directions)
1 small jar salsa
1 lb browned ground beef (I have made this with chicken and also ground turkey)
4 cups crushed tortilla chips
1 can (15 oz) pinto beans
1 lb Velveeta cheese, cut into cubes, divided (I have also used shredded cheddar cheese, 2 cups)
Sliced green onions and sour cream (optional)

Directions:
Prepare rice according to package directions and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine rice, beans, salsa and ground beef; set aside. Cover baking dish bottom with chips. Layer 1/2 of the cheese over the chips. Top beef mixture. Top with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Garnish with sour cream and green onions if desired.

Pizza Crust

Ingredients:
1 (0.25 oz) dry active yeast (can be found in the dairy department...I use Fleishman's rapid rise yeast)
1 tsp. white sugar
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour*
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

*I sometimes use 1 cup wheat flour and 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
**To make a stuffed crust pizza, allow crust to hang over edge of round pizza pan (or stone) and line edge with string cheese. Fold excess crust over the string cheese and add desired toppings.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450F. In medium bowl, dissolve yeast & sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

Stir in flour, salt, & oil. Beat until smooth. Let rest for 5 minutes.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface & pat into a round. Transfer crust to a lightly greased pizza pan. Spread with desired toppings** & bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.

**Last week I topped with 3 or 4 Tbsp of light caesar salad dressing, mozzarella cheese, 1 tsp italian seasoning, freshly ground black pepper, cooked and cubed chicken and steamed broccoli. It was SO yummy!!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened, 3/4 cup sugar, 3/4 cup packed brown sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 3 cups quick cooking oats, 1-1/2 cups flour, 1 pkg instant vanilla pudding, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 2 cups (um...or more) chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375F. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter & sugars. Beat in eggs & vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the oats, flour, pudding mix, baking soda & salt. Gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls, 2-in apart, onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375F for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

This recipe makes a LOT of cookies.

ENJOY!!

Ryan's Birthday Celebration

Though Ryan's actual birthday isn't until Monday, we celebrated it on Saturday (James' birthday). We invited some of Ryan's neighbor friends (and their parents) to join us at a local apple orchard. We started the visit by going on a hayride through the orchard, and then we picked some apples. Each child got their own bag and were allowed to pick 2 apples. Tbe adults ALSO got their own bag, but we had to pay for what we picked ;)! The kids enjoyed looking at the farm animals, and then we sat down for some warm donuts and apple cider while Ryan opened some birthday presents.

Checking out an old tractor

Getting ready to go on the hay ride


Me and my little (big) guy

Ryan munching on his apple

Later on, James' parents, as well as his sister and her two kids, joined us for dinner (homemade stuffed crust pizza...at James' request) and cake and ice cream. It was a busy day, as there was much to celebrate!

A visit from the Coleman Family

The end of August brought with it a visit from our friends Don & Bridgette and their two kids. The whole family stopped by on their way through to their vacation cottage, and then Bridgette and the kids came back to play for a couple of days! We had a great time visiting and letting the kids play together (okay, so when you get two boys of the same age together with the same interests, it's really more about breaking up the arguments about who was playing with what car first, but, we'll call it playing...because it sounds nicer... right, Bridge?!).

Ryan & Brennan being silly at the table

Ella & Aidan...only 9 days apart in age!

It rained most of the time they were here, so a lot of our activity was INSIDE. We were going to head to the zoo one of the days they were here, but it started raining pretty steadily, so we decided on The Discovery Center instead. As far as children's museums go, I don't think this one is the greatest, but the kids had a good time, which is what really mattered.

Brennan & Ryan "driving" the fire truck

Ryan "flying" a plane

Aidan playing with wind chimes

Summer Splashin'

I found a WHALE of a deal recently on this little kiddie pool, as our other kiddie pool had a hole in it. (Lame play on words...I know.)

The kids enjoyed some splashin' fun this afternoon. We haven't had too many days of sweltering heat this summer, so they had a good time splashing around (and climbing in...and out...in again...then out...you get the picture) for awhile. Notice that the whale's blow hole is squirting water? Ya, that was pretty much Ella's favorite feature of the pool.

A busy July...

I can't believe it has been so long since I posted, though looking back on the past month I can see why! We had a very busy July. The good busy kind that makes for a fun summer. We have had something going on every weekend for the past month. Here is a peek at what we have been up to...

On the 4th of July we went to a party at one of James' co-worker's house. We had a good time, but as you can see by the pic above...Ella was ready for bed when we got home. Ryan, too...but he was a little less obvious about it!

I won tickets for July 5th to attend a B-Mets baseball (our local team) game through the Mom's group that I am part of. We invited our new-ish neighbor friends to join us. They have two little boys that Ryan just loves to play with. It was the perfect way to attend our first baseball game as a family, as we didn't have to pay for the tickets and therefore didn't feel bad leaving during the 6th inning! In fact, we were pleasantly surprised to have made it through that many innings and decided to leave just as the kids were starting to show signs of getting antsy.


Ryan and his friend Taylor


What baseball game is complete without a hot dog?


Batter up!


On the way out of the park there was a jump tent and a fun baseball/tee ball game to play. We are discovering that Ryan is quite the little ball player!

The following weekend we celebrated Ella's FIRST BIRTHDAY! Wow--I really can't believe she is a whole year old. It seems that the year has flown by. We are enjoying her emerging personality and of course applauding all of the cute little things she is learning to do. Her current tricks include walking, giving high fives, trying to put shoes on (doesn't matter whose it is...if it is a shoe, she tries to put it on!) and pushing her "babies" in the doll stroller. Her current repertoire of words include: baby, kitty, Mama and Dada (discriminately), hello, night night, shoe and ball. Oh...and she calls Ryan "YaYa"...which is pretty accurate, most of the time! ;)

Birthday cupcakes!

Ella carrying her birthday loot!

Hmm...interesting.

What do I do with this thing?

The actual tasting of the cupcake did not make for a great photo opportunity, as she basically gagged on it. I think that the frosting may have been too sweet for her!!

We spent Ella's actual birthday just the four of us, but celebrated Ella's Baptism and birthday with extended family the following weekend at Chenango Valley State Park. My family (Mom, my Uncle and his wife Sue) made the journey from Maine, as did my best friend, Sarah, and her family and Sarah's parents, who were like "second parents" to me growing up. We were only missing one of my nephews from James' side of the family, as he was participating in his last soccer tournament of the summer. We had fun celebrating together!

The baptism

The whole gang

Us

More gifts...

Chillin' after a much better (chocolate!) cupcake experience

The following weekend we had kind of a break. Well, if you consider Ryan's little neighbor friend's birthday a break. Complete with a bouncy slide, pull string pinata, and lots of rambunctious little boys, it was most certainly a busy (but fun) day. I have to proudly say (because I usually can't) that Ryan was the "last boy standing" (OK, all of them were standing) at the end of the party. He was the only one who wasn't crying, having a complete meltdown, or just down right grumpy. Don't worry though...he just saved it all up for when we got home. An early bed time did the trick and all was well again.

What better way to end an already terrific month, than to spend the last weekend with my girlfriends from college (er, minus Marcie)!? Our husbands were so kind to watch the kids all weekend while we spent some time doing fun girl things. We met up at Tara's house in Virginia and had a great time catching up. What girl's weekend would be complete without some outlet shopping, a pedicure, a chick flick, and some yummy eats!? Oh...and did I mention the staying up until 2 am? Ya...the bags that still linger under my eyes are proof positive that I am definitely not as young as I used to be (sniff).

Bridgette in the kitchen...we each brought recipes with us and took turns making meals. It was fun to try new meals and to share our favorites.

Jenn and Bridgette at Coastal Flats (we did take a night off to enjoy dinner out!)

Tara and Matt's son, Noah. I think he rather enjoyed having us around for the weekend!

We also had a mini baby shower for Jenn, who is due to have a little boy in October!

I didn't do the best job taking pictures to document our weekend together, but again, it was a fun time! Thanks to Matt and Tara for hosting (and especially to Matt for putting up with all of the hoopla in addition to taking care of their kiddos!).

Phew--I'm tired just reading through the events of the past month. We don't have much planned for August. Just hoping to relax a little before Ryan starts pre-school in the fall (a post about that will most DEFINITELY follow).