Christmas

Well, I don't have a lot of photos to share, because I took some with the film camera and a lot of video. Here are a couple pictures that we did take with the digital camera. Jonathan loves his new wagon! Santa was very generous for all of us! The Christmas table was very fancy, with our best china and a Christmas tablecloth. Jonathan enjoyed all the parties we went to, and especially telling everyone what Santa says, "ho, ho, ho" and doing the swinging Santa dance to "Santa Claus is coming to town."

Last Thursday's snowday pictures...

Jonathan's first experience walking through a winter wonderland!

12 Days of Christmas

I saw this on GaryCraig.com. A new spin on an old classic... also reminds me of college where the acappella groups were always big. These guys are way better though!! : )

We're dancing elves!!

Hey, I just made a total elf of myself. Check it out by clicking the link below.

Check out our dancing skills!

This elfin' greeting brought to you by OfficeMax®.

voki

Get a Voki now!




The morning radio guy has one of these voki things, and I thought it would be fun to make one myself! He actually records his "crazy man" voice with a microphone though, I just typed in the text and used one of the computer generated voices. I guess you can use your phone to record the voice as well. It's sort of weird, huh??

Did you know? Video

For the teachers, parents and future parents...
We were shown this video on the first day of school, I thought it was pretty neat. Totally overwhelming, but neat.

Frustration

There just isn't enough time in the day to do everything that needs to be done!! ARGH

Christmas brunch

Every year my dad's family has a brunch. It is a nice time to see everyone, have some laughs and do a grab bag. Jonathan really enjoyed the party!





That was good chocolate...

what was I saying about no snow to sleet to rain??

Here is the current forecast from our local ABC weather channel, channel 8. NIGHTMARE!

Updated: Saturday AM

Here is the Forecast from Meteorologist Matt Scott and Storm Team 8.

Ugh.

We've been watching a winter storm develop for the past few days....now, a day out from it, it looks like it's going to be tough to avoid the slop on the way.

And that's exactly what it is : Slop. I'm looking for a snowy start to this storm tomorrow afternoon, followed by the bigger concern of sleet and freezing rain tomorrow night. And, as temperatures hover around 32 Monday morning, there is potential for slippery conditions for the morning rush.

We'll be tracking the storm this weekend, and of course, I'll have the latest on "Good Morning Connecticut". Monday Morning, We'll be tag-teaming the coverage with Dr Mel in the studio, and me and the Weather Lab out in the elements. Trust me, there will be plenty of elements to be out in.

All the best, Meteorologist Matt Scott matt.scott@wtnh.com

The pictures we chose NOT to use for the Christmas card this year...

Missing my garden, and sunshine, and summer...

I know I haven't been posting as much recently, and I think it is because I don't have any more garden news or photos to share. I really loved my garden (as you can tell if you saw my slideshow of the garden photos) and I miss going up there and just looking around at the flowers. Everything is dead now, and it is depressing. I also feel tired so much earlier since the sun is down by 5pm. Yuck! I miss the sun! I know there are those who enjoy the winter weather activities, but I don't really enjoy them myself. I don't mind ice skating, or sledding for that matter, but I'm not checking the ski reports...
The depressing part of winter in CT is that we get this cold weather, but we don't even get the pretty snow to make it seem worthwhile. It's just cold, dark and yucky. : (
Here's hoping for at least one significant snowfall and at least one snow day.
None of this snow changing to sleet, changing to rain, changing back to snow- Please.

Totally awesome, dude

Check out my shades.

Maria's wedding

At last, the big day!! It was a great time for all involved. I'll upload more pictures on the "my photos" site.

Are you ready for the holidays?

With Thanksgiving only a couple of weeks away, it's time to prepare for all the craziness of the holidays. I never remember how to cook the turkey, so here is a link to the turkey tip page on the Food Network website. They even have a calculator to figure out how long to cook the turkey based on its weight. The only tip I have is that I cooked the turkey two years ago with garlic inside (I don't do stuffing) and it came out very tasty. If anyone else has tips or favorite recipes send them along! More ideas to come!

Just a couple more...

Sorry, but these were too cute to pass up... my dad had these on his camera. : )
Love it!

This hat is too big Mom!

Train Conductor

Happy Halloween!

Some pictures of the pumpkin my mom carved...

It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown!

Happy almost halloween... tomorrow I'll have some pictures to share of Jonathan's first real costume... he is going to be a train conductor. Choo! choo! My mom also did one of those fancy carved pumpkins. Do you have your own fancy pumpkin that would make the Great Pumpkin proud? Email me and I'll post the pictures!!
dcms@alum.dartmouth.org
Have fun!

no brainer bbq pork

Here is an easy recipe! Just put 4-6 pork chops in a crock pot with a bottle of your favorite bbq sauce and cook on low for 4-6 hours (in mine it is closer to 4, but the recipes all say longer.)

For those of us that don't like tuna...

For all of us that don't like tuna fish, but think the idea of a tuna noodle casserole is somewhat appealing, campbell's has a site with many casseroles including chicken noodle casserole which I made the other day. I changed it slightly to have leftovers and not extra chicken. I made a full bag of egg noodles, which is about double. I used the same amount of chicken, double the soup and one and half times the cheese. I also added a half can of peas, which Mike and Jonathan both like. It came out really good, definitely great for a cold winter day, or even better, a snow day! Another recipe to make on a day when you are sick of all your other recipes. That happens to me a lot!

Mike's posting

This a poster at Mike's work. I think it might be funnier if you are a computer help desk person or a computer support person in general. Still, it makes you think of all the stupid questions people ask...

Jonathan's first pictures

After getting a hold of Mike's cell phone, these are the first pictures Jonathan took. The first one is of his shape sorting push cart. The second is of his fingers. It's a close up. Hey, not bad for a one year old.

Latest Jonathan video

Sorry this is so dark, but we were using the digital camera and not the video camera, which needs to have its battery charged! It's still funny, I think...

Turn the volume up to hear it better!

Garden 2007

Simpson's version of me...

Hey, if you haven't checked it out yet, you should check out my sister-in-law Angela's blog- The Coolest thing ever! I used her link to the simpsonizer... so what do you think, does it look like me??

The first recipe I ever made...

cheddar chicken

As some of you know, I didn't do much cooking until I moved out on my own in 2000. Even then, I didn't really start cooking frequently until I got married in 2002. However, this was the first recipe (outside of middle school home economics) that I ever tried. It was an instant success with Mike and the rest of my family. Of course, with butter and cheese, how can you go wrong? I rarely make it now, but it is good for something different with a lot of flavor! Enjoy.

Bad day...

Did you ever have one of those days when everything just sucks and there isn't anything you can do to change it? I had one of those days today. I should have known when I woke up to the sound of DJ's talking about how the Yankees lost last night that it was going to be one of those days. Of course at 5am when the alarm goes off, they could be talking about money falling from the sky, and it would still be annoying. The only good thing about today is that it's almost over. ARGH.

Recipe- Cuban Sloppy Joes

I don't like sloppy joes, but I love these. So good!

Fun "fall" weekend

Jonathan walking, yes, walking around at the Harvest festival on Saturday. And a picture from picking a pumpkin today at the farm. Of course Saturday it was about 80 degrees and humid, and today it was in the 70's! Not exactly your typical October day...

fire truck playhut

Jonathan playing in his new fire truck playhut! More pictures on the flickr site...

Purple Dome Aster

pretty in purple...

One game away...

Go Yankees!! Win 1 more and we're in the playoffs!!

Maria's shower

This weekend was Maria's bridal shower. It was a lot of fun! On Saturday we made the traditional Canestri cookie boxes. I made snickerdoodles... a fun cookie that apparently everyone has eaten before except me! They are really good though, a butter cookie with cinnamon and sugar. Well, if it's got cinnamon in it, it must be good, right?? Love it! All the food was great, and we all looked cute, and Maria got a ton of stuff! : )
Gotta love showers!

Blog note

Hey guys, for anyone that checks the blog for pictures... I have started a flickr account and I'll be adding pictures there that might not necessarily be on the blog. You can get to it by clicking on "my photos" in the favorite links section on the right.

Enjoy!
Denise

Hide and Seek Video

Walking (well, almost)

A picture of Jonathan with his walker toy. He can walk well with it, but still won't walk by himself. He's taken a few steps by himself, and can play the drum while standing... but hasn't taken that big leap of faith yet.

Good news on September 11th

A coworker of mine had a baby girl today at 5am. I thought it was nice to get some good news on September 11th, when it seems you can't escape the endless media coverage of the tragedy in 2001. Not that I'm saying we shouldn't reflect on the anniversary, but for me, I have to not think about it too much or I start to get depressed. The war with Iraq doesn't help. Anyway, I wanted to share some good news, in case anyone else, like me, has a feeling of dread every year at this time.

I also wanted to share this photo of the sunset outside my house. The picture doesn't capture the color perfectly, but you get the idea. The clouds cleared just in time for sunset. Beautiful.

North Haven Fair

We took Jonathan to the North Haven Fair today. The heat made it impossible for us to stay more than an hour, but he still got to see cows, sheep, pigs, bunnies and chickens. Not bad. And I got cotton candy! Woo hoo! I don't know why, but cotton candy is the most exciting thing to me about fairs. I love it. There is something about it that makes me happy. : )

Garden overview- September 7

September Flowers

Here are some pictures from the garden. I am loving the fact that I still have flowers blooming in September. All the pre-existing flowers here were normally dying off by now, so it is nice to still have some color around. The first plant is the sedum matrona, which took forever to bloom, but it is very pretty now that it has. It is pinkish white and seems to attract bumblebees. The second picture are the multicolored zinnias that my mom bought at Expect Discounts... they sat in a pot for a while in front of my house until I got around to planting them, but they are blooming still, so that's pretty good.

Day Care- day 1

Jonathan's first day of daycare was today. I guess he did pretty well. The teachers said that he only cried once, when another little boy, who was also new, started to cry. Poor things!! : ( He was fine the rest of the day though, and one of the teachers even noticed that he likes music, so he must have been dancing or singing! He is still getting used to the kids and the teachers, I'm sure, but it seemed like he did a lot better than I did today. I kept looking at the clock and wondering what he was doing, and whether or not he was crying and/or throwing a fit. He ate breakfast and lunch and took a nap in the morning for about an hour. He slept on the way home in the car- I think he was exhausted! And we had to let him take another nap around 6 because he just wasn't going to make it to bedtime.

For those of you keeping track- he has 5 teeth (going on 6) and is now standing up (occasionally) by himself. He has taken about two steps before falling or holding on to something, but he gets really excited when he stands and starts trying to jump, which he really isn't ready for!!

Review for burpee.com

Check out my review for the zinnias at burpee.com! I actually have another for the butterfly bush- you can click on "read all my reviews" to see that one. I included a picture for each review. Apparently, not that many people write reviews, because they say I'm in the top 250 just for having 2!

Happy Labor Day!

Tomorrow is Labor Day... the first holiday of the school year. Conveniently, it falls just a few days after we start school. Most of us feel we need a break already, or at least we need to start slowly. Going back to work is weird enough when you have summers off, but going back to work after a year of taking care of an infant and taking a few classes is torturous. Partially because you haven't done it in so long, but mostly because you have to get another person ready every morning. (I used to barely be able to get myself ready.) So far it hasn't been too bad in the morning, because I get everything ready the night before. The only problem is that the days start to run into one another because I come home, feed the baby, make dinner, play with the baby, put the baby to bed, get the bottles ready, get his bag ready, think about what I'm going to take for lunch the next day, make sure I know what I'm bringing him for lunch the next day, figure out what I'm wearing the next day... and then go to bed. Forget grading and planning, I'm not sure when I'm going to find time for that. Anyway... I know that EVENTUALLY it will be nice to be a teacher and a mom. Summer vacations with the kids, Christmas week off every year... there are definite perks, I know... but getting to the point where it is nice to be a teacher is going to take a while. Right now it is just like, wow, I wish I didn't have to wake up so damn early, I wish I didn't have such a long commute, I wish I didn't have a mortgage that I have to work to pay... etc. Anyway, enough of this vent. I just think back to not having Jonathan and I wonder where the hell all that free time I had went!

Diaper free baby?

O.k., Maria sent me this link, and I just have to post it, because it is so freaking crazy that I can't help myself!! I mean, o.k., in a rural area or ancient times, maybe this would work, but modern America?? Like, I don't have enough to do being a mom, now I'm supposed to watch my child 24/7 to look for signs that he is going to pee or poop?? This is just ridiculous. People have way too much time on their hands! Please send me comments, because I can't wait to hear what others think about this one.

Diaperfreebaby.org

Another recipe from Rachael Ray!

Chicken enchiladas! We had these for dinner on Friday night, they are so good! I admit that boiling and shredding the chicken takes a while, but if you start early enough with the process then it isn't so bad. The chicken comes out very tender, and the sauce is so easy to make. You probably have all the indredients on hand, cinnamon, hot sauce, cans of tomato sauce and chili powder. I strongly suggest trying these, if you enjoy tex-mex food like we do!

www.rachaelrayshow.com/?q=recipes/chicken-enchiladas

Too cute

If you can't read the shirt, it says "Part Italian, Part Irish Total Perfection"
ha!

Jonathan loves to hug his new bear!

Singing with Jonathan

The Pool

This was another picture from Jonathan's party. He wasn't so sure about the pool that day- it wasn't that warm! The other kids had a ball!

One Year Old!

A year ago today I was at the hospital still in labor with Jonathan. It is hard to believe that a year has passed already since that day. I haven't gotten to sleep late since!! That's o.k. though, I don't miss it as much as I thought I would. Coffee helps.

Right before my Dr. started the c-section to remove my poor stuck child, she looked at me and said "I normally don't say things like this, but I think it's a boy. A girl wouldn't have given you this much trouble."
She was right, and here we are. Mother and son. He may have given me trouble in utero- but he has been a great baby overall. He doesn't fuss much (after the first 3 months anyway) and he eats and sleeps well. He was sleeping through the night by 4 months old, you can't ask for more than that!

Now Jonathan is a big boy (24 and a quarter pounds- 30 inches tall) and almost walking! He sings (for real!) and dances- see movie below- and almost walks. He can do it just holding on with one hand.

I'll be going back to work next week, and he'll be going to daycare a couple of days and my mom's the other days. I'll miss being with him all day, but hopefully getting out relatively early, I'll still feel like I'm spending the day with him.

Skip to my Lou...

Jonathan's working on his new moves. He loves to dance!

More party photos

Jonathan's birthday party

Jonathan's birthday is the 22nd, but we celebrated in on Saturday. We had gorgeous weather and a big crowd of people. I think everyone had a lot of fun. Here are a couple of pictures, I'll have to borrow some from other people because I was too busy to take many myself.