Friday, February 04, 2011
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
A Few Pictures from Our Year in Review - Part 1
Chillin' in the Bathtub (2/10)
Tormenting Shooter (3/10)
Fun at the Park (3/10) - Ryder loves the swings
Happy to see Dad after a business trip (3/10)
Fun at the Park (3/10) - Ryder loves the swings Happy to see Dad after a business trip (3/10)Chris and Dria at Seredipity 3 in NYC (4/10)
A Trip to Central Park on Easter 2010
Ryder enjoys a good teeth brushing (5/10)
Monday, January 10, 2011
A Year (and some odd months) in Review
So I guess it's time to resurrect the blog...after a mere year and so odd months, not much has happened. Ok, yes it has. As Ryder is probably standing in his bed right now talking away, "Dada! Zzzzew, zeeeew (airplane flying)!, and the occasional thump of him flopping down, it's really hard to realize how much time has passed since, what was it, October 19, 2009?
Last time I checked in, my little sis turned 21. Meanwhile, she is off in Italy on a school excursion, ready to graduate in May. Oh my! Last time I blogged, we were experiencing Ryder's frost and now we're on to some of his seconds.
My little guy dresses up as funny little horse for Halloween. This year, he was wandering around as a little dog.
Ryder's first Christmas was filled with his efforts to eat the paper and Mon and Dad's effort to get him to enjoy the toys, namely books, he got. This year, he could've cared less about the paper, but once everything was unwrapped (mostly by Mom and Dad), he was quick at work to play with one thing after the next...See and Say, Bubbles (aka Elmo) See and Say, Little People Farm, Rocking Trike, a Monkey in the Box, and so many books and car paraphenalia! How much stuff can one kid enjoy...or use for that matter? (That little "no sleeper" is still talking away... "car, car" followed by "vrrrr, vrrrr"! This little boy is so busy even when he should be sleeping.)
Last April brought a quick trip to NYC for Chris and I. Ryder split his time between Papa and Nana K's and Gramma and Grandpa S's. What fun he had (and so did we...and Tessie and Shooter too! Shooter even helped himself to a pound of Grandpa S's cheese right off the counter. Silly dog!). Tessie and Shooter both celebrated birthdays in May and April, respectively. We had some old dogs - Tessie was seven and Shooter turned eight. They also seemed to be turning white overnight. Old dogs.
May brought the confirmation that I could officially make my move back to the classroom where I would join my childhood friend, Amanda, teaching fifth grade. Chris continued working hard at both his new(er) sales job as well as at his MBA program at MU. His studies at MU prepped him for a trip to Belgium in June. In the meantime, Ryder and I packed our suitcase and headed off to Florida with Nana, Papa, and Emily. Ryder did well on his first plane ride, but thank goodness, we three other people to hand him around to. On the way home, I was going it alone in Business class, thank goodness for the extra room. Having a little guy just wanting to walk made for a long flight home. We were happy to see Chris at the gate waiting for us.
Ryder celebrated his first 4th of July, loving the flags! It was hard to believe his birthday was around the corner - we almost had ourselves a walking one year old! Unbelievable!
We had a small birthday celebration, but enjoyable nonetheless. Ryder definitely enjoyed his birthday cupcake. Mmmm, chocolate frosting. In the blink of an eye, the cake was gone. He continues to be good little eater. We made the move to "real food" quite quickly and easily. Weaning him off a bottle not difficult either. Besides getting sick of a food after awhile, as anyone would, this kid has no problem eating or trying new foods. Tomatoes and mashed potatoes are really the only thing on the "yuck" list. Otherwise, black beans, any meat, blueberries, CHEESE, noodles, strawberries, eggs, craCKERS, are always in demand for "more, more" with his sign language. Don't worry, he'll let you know when he's ALL Done, with a swish of his arm and knocking food off the tray if you don't get it away fast enough.
More to come about months 12+... and pictures too!
Last time I checked in, my little sis turned 21. Meanwhile, she is off in Italy on a school excursion, ready to graduate in May. Oh my! Last time I blogged, we were experiencing Ryder's frost and now we're on to some of his seconds.
My little guy dresses up as funny little horse for Halloween. This year, he was wandering around as a little dog.
Ryder's first Christmas was filled with his efforts to eat the paper and Mon and Dad's effort to get him to enjoy the toys, namely books, he got. This year, he could've cared less about the paper, but once everything was unwrapped (mostly by Mom and Dad), he was quick at work to play with one thing after the next...See and Say, Bubbles (aka Elmo) See and Say, Little People Farm, Rocking Trike, a Monkey in the Box, and so many books and car paraphenalia! How much stuff can one kid enjoy...or use for that matter? (That little "no sleeper" is still talking away... "car, car" followed by "vrrrr, vrrrr"! This little boy is so busy even when he should be sleeping.)
Last April brought a quick trip to NYC for Chris and I. Ryder split his time between Papa and Nana K's and Gramma and Grandpa S's. What fun he had (and so did we...and Tessie and Shooter too! Shooter even helped himself to a pound of Grandpa S's cheese right off the counter. Silly dog!). Tessie and Shooter both celebrated birthdays in May and April, respectively. We had some old dogs - Tessie was seven and Shooter turned eight. They also seemed to be turning white overnight. Old dogs.
May brought the confirmation that I could officially make my move back to the classroom where I would join my childhood friend, Amanda, teaching fifth grade. Chris continued working hard at both his new(er) sales job as well as at his MBA program at MU. His studies at MU prepped him for a trip to Belgium in June. In the meantime, Ryder and I packed our suitcase and headed off to Florida with Nana, Papa, and Emily. Ryder did well on his first plane ride, but thank goodness, we three other people to hand him around to. On the way home, I was going it alone in Business class, thank goodness for the extra room. Having a little guy just wanting to walk made for a long flight home. We were happy to see Chris at the gate waiting for us.
Ryder celebrated his first 4th of July, loving the flags! It was hard to believe his birthday was around the corner - we almost had ourselves a walking one year old! Unbelievable!
We had a small birthday celebration, but enjoyable nonetheless. Ryder definitely enjoyed his birthday cupcake. Mmmm, chocolate frosting. In the blink of an eye, the cake was gone. He continues to be good little eater. We made the move to "real food" quite quickly and easily. Weaning him off a bottle not difficult either. Besides getting sick of a food after awhile, as anyone would, this kid has no problem eating or trying new foods. Tomatoes and mashed potatoes are really the only thing on the "yuck" list. Otherwise, black beans, any meat, blueberries, CHEESE, noodles, strawberries, eggs, craCKERS, are always in demand for "more, more" with his sign language. Don't worry, he'll let you know when he's ALL Done, with a swish of his arm and knocking food off the tray if you don't get it away fast enough.
More to come about months 12+... and pictures too!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Busy October
We've had a few busy weekends this month...
We celebrated Little E's 21st Birthday! My little sister is all grown up now. Hope you had a good day, Emily!
We celebrated Little E's 21st Birthday! My little sister is all grown up now. Hope you had a good day, Emily!
We celebrated Ryder's Baptism. He is lucky to have two great godparents, Chris' cousin, Jordan and my sister, Emily. We decided he had the godparents with most collective tattoos in church. Lucky kid, both have offered to take him to get a tattoo when he's old enough. We couldn't ask for anything more!
This past weekend, we celebrated the wedding of our friends, Kerry and Eric. After 9 1/2 years of dating, they finally got hitched! Congratulations to the happy couple!
*Note the beautiful and tasty cake by Sweetness by Alice.
*Note the beautiful and tasty cake by Sweetness by Alice.
There may be a video surfacing somewhere in cyberspace of Chris and I cuttin' up the dance floor and rockin' out to Ice, Ice Baby. Needless to say, we had an awesome time!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Uncle Sonny
I don't have an Uncle Sonny, but the person at The Arugula Files does and he looks awesome. I was browsing the internet for a recipe for Eggplant Parm and came across Uncle Sonny's. I'm going to give the recipe a try, but more importantly, you should check out the recipe because pictures are included and I found the comments following the post entertaining.
Friday, September 04, 2009
My little guy had his pictures taken by a great Madison area photographer, Casey Bower, just shy of his two week birthday. He was a super fussy little boy that day, but Casey did a great job of capturing some great shots. There is a quick overview of the shoot on her blog, the whole gallery will be available next week.
Get the sneak peek here!
A funny story about the social networking aspect of the internet and these pictures... my mom called me today at the end of the school day and said, "The pictures are so cute!"
I responded, "The pictures on my blog or facebook?"
She said, "No, from Casey Bower!"
I had no idea what she was talking about. Turns out, Gina and Kelly's mom, who works with my mom, commented on how cute the pictures were. Again, my mom thought she was talking about the blog pics or the facebook pics, but no, the Casey Bower photos. Ah... how did she know?
Kelly.
That girl is internet amazing.
Get the sneak peek here!
A funny story about the social networking aspect of the internet and these pictures... my mom called me today at the end of the school day and said, "The pictures are so cute!"
I responded, "The pictures on my blog or facebook?"
She said, "No, from Casey Bower!"
I had no idea what she was talking about. Turns out, Gina and Kelly's mom, who works with my mom, commented on how cute the pictures were. Again, my mom thought she was talking about the blog pics or the facebook pics, but no, the Casey Bower photos. Ah... how did she know?
Kelly.
That girl is internet amazing.
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
Saturday, August 08, 2009
Baby's Here!
Wow, it's been quite a whirlwind in the last 19 hours!
Yesterday, I went to my doctor's appointment shortly before 1pm and after my examine, she asked if I had my stuff for the hospital in the car. Whoa! Talk about a surprise. I was already dilated 5cm - ah, that's half way there. So, needless to say, Chris and I went home to top off the suitcase, spend some childless time with the pups, and get some odds and ends in the house in order.
The doctor checked in around 4:30pm to see if we were ready to go. I had been having some consistent back pain about every 7 minutes, so she thought it would be beneficial to head to the hospital and I definitely wouldn't make it until Monday without having our little guy! So, we took our last childless picture and headed out to the hospital. Oh look, even the dogs are looking at the camera. Boy, are they in for a surprise when we get home tomorrow!
Everything seemed so anti-climactic on our drive to the hospital. There was no rush in the middle of the night or water breaking in a gush in the house, just getting in the car and taking our time during the 10 minute drive to the hospital.
Everything seemed so anti-climactic on our drive to the hospital. There was no rush in the middle of the night or water breaking in a gush in the house, just getting in the car and taking our time during the 10 minute drive to the hospital.When we got to the hospital, they were ready for us and I changed into the ever-beautiful hospital gown and got a quick check over. There were moms-to-be in obvious pain walking the halls. I felt like I should've had my running shoes on as we began our walk around the hospital floor as my pain from contractions was nothing but a 1 on and scale of 1 to 10. After one lap, the nurse suggested we head back into the room and the resident on call was going to break my water to hopefully get things moving along. Well, that was something else, no need to expand on the details here. Ask me and I'll tell you about it. From there, the contractions did start to increase in frequency and strength. We were looking at about a 4 on a scale of 1 to 10. The exercise ball was my new friend. After that, things started to progress on the pain scale with the addition of pitocin to my hospital cocktail. Things got a little tougher to stick out. By 10:30ish, I was looking for that epidural. My dilation hadn't really changed much, but the contractions were rough. I did the best I could but when the nurse said it would only get worse, more drugs sounded like the best option in the comfort department. Life WAS much more bearable once that hit my system.
Between 11pm and 12:30am, things moved quickly from 6cm to 10cm. This little guy was ready to make his appearance in the world! After about 35 minutes of pushing, we met Ryder Thomas. A healthy little boy weighing in at 7lbs 9oz and measuring 20.5inches. I was lucky this little guy was riding low for the tail end of my pregnancy, evidently, that made the time I had to push much, much less than a normal first-time mom with an epidural. When I think back to hearing the nurse say the average is between 1 and 3 hours, I couldn't even imagine. I guess I was pretty lucky.
Chris was a great support during the whole process and when things quieted down about 4am, we couldn't believe everything that happened and we ended up with this cute little boy that's ours! Amazing. I'm so excited to see our little guy grow and change in the days, months, and years ahead!!
Friday, August 07, 2009
State Fair visit and Apple Pie Revelation
Yesterday, I made the annual pilgrimage to State Fair with my mom and we were joined by my Grandma. We had a limited time for our visit, so it was an abbreviated version of the State Fair. We started at the south end of the park - first stop: Cream Puffs. Since we went first thing in the morning, there was a very, very short line. One tasty treat down, several more to go. Then, we headed to the Journal/Sentinel building to see the winning photographs and I renewed our Sunday subscription. I scored $15 in gift cards with our subscription (read: $15 worth of diapers). Then, it was on to the Horticulture Building. We saw all of the State Fair textile and food submissions. Kudos to my friend Barb for her chocolate raspberry cheesecake submission. While she was the Waukesha Co. Fair winner for this cheesecake, this one yielded a white ribbon (I couldn't read what place that equated). We saw some beautiful flowers and some amazing vegetable submissions.
Next stop, the Expo!! I was in search of a new set of Ginsu knives, but alas, I couldn't find them. We picked up our annual lottery tickets. Both my mom and I "contributed" five dollars each to the state lottery fund without a return. Oh well. It was funny walking through the Expo because in each aisle, I could identify one of the products we did have... Cham Wow, Salsa Maker, Glass Cleaner, Stove Top Grill. Argh, where were the Ginsus??
We were there so early, the corn was just beginning to roast. We couldn't partake in that.
At this point, we had about an hour and 15 minutes left at the fair, so we headed to the Wisconsin Products Building. Mmm...more tasty treats. Mom and Grandma headed to the Wisconsin Potato Growers booth. Cheese, butter, sour cream, and chives, please! I headed to the Apple Growers stand. Caramel Apple Sundae, hold the sprinkles, please. In the past, the WI State Fair Coupon Book rocked. This year, not so much. No apple coupon, no milk coupon. What's going on? We did score 3 potatoes for $10. Not sure if this was more of a deal than in the past.
30 minutes remaining... off to see some animals. The cows were being herded into the coliseum for some judging. They were so nice and clean. How cute. On to the horses... we saw the clydesdales and boy, are their feet big! They were getting reading for some judging later in the day in the washing area.
Times up! Our ride was waiting. It was beautiful weather and the morning couldn't have been more perfect - a little more time to peruse the fairgrounds. I was looking forward to the Deep Fried PB&J on a stick from the Machine Shed, so someone have one for me. And if you see the Ginsus, all I need are the steak knives.
So, I know you're wondering about my apple pie revelation. I love fall and love making and eating apple pie. My grandma has a fantastic recipe! But, I've always drooled over apple pie bars and haven't found a recipe that suffices (if you have one, please share!). You know, the bars with the layers of firm crust, apple pie filling, a top crust, and a nice layer of icing on the top. You can find these at the Apple Grower's booth. Mmm. I ran across this recipe from Smitten Kitchen for Sour Cherry Slab Pie. I think I could substitute Grandma's Apple Pie filling in this recipe. I can't wait for apple season!
Next stop, the Expo!! I was in search of a new set of Ginsu knives, but alas, I couldn't find them. We picked up our annual lottery tickets. Both my mom and I "contributed" five dollars each to the state lottery fund without a return. Oh well. It was funny walking through the Expo because in each aisle, I could identify one of the products we did have... Cham Wow, Salsa Maker, Glass Cleaner, Stove Top Grill. Argh, where were the Ginsus??
We were there so early, the corn was just beginning to roast. We couldn't partake in that.
At this point, we had about an hour and 15 minutes left at the fair, so we headed to the Wisconsin Products Building. Mmm...more tasty treats. Mom and Grandma headed to the Wisconsin Potato Growers booth. Cheese, butter, sour cream, and chives, please! I headed to the Apple Growers stand. Caramel Apple Sundae, hold the sprinkles, please. In the past, the WI State Fair Coupon Book rocked. This year, not so much. No apple coupon, no milk coupon. What's going on? We did score 3 potatoes for $10. Not sure if this was more of a deal than in the past.
30 minutes remaining... off to see some animals. The cows were being herded into the coliseum for some judging. They were so nice and clean. How cute. On to the horses... we saw the clydesdales and boy, are their feet big! They were getting reading for some judging later in the day in the washing area.
Times up! Our ride was waiting. It was beautiful weather and the morning couldn't have been more perfect - a little more time to peruse the fairgrounds. I was looking forward to the Deep Fried PB&J on a stick from the Machine Shed, so someone have one for me. And if you see the Ginsus, all I need are the steak knives.
So, I know you're wondering about my apple pie revelation. I love fall and love making and eating apple pie. My grandma has a fantastic recipe! But, I've always drooled over apple pie bars and haven't found a recipe that suffices (if you have one, please share!). You know, the bars with the layers of firm crust, apple pie filling, a top crust, and a nice layer of icing on the top. You can find these at the Apple Grower's booth. Mmm. I ran across this recipe from Smitten Kitchen for Sour Cherry Slab Pie. I think I could substitute Grandma's Apple Pie filling in this recipe. I can't wait for apple season!
Peanut Butter Blondies
I made the recipe for Peanut Butter Blondies listed below and I have to say, they turned out picture perfect, with the taste to match. I took them to a meeting at school yesterday and they got the stamp of approval there as well. I used chocolate chips instead of PB chips, as the blogger did as well. Yum-my!
The end of $1 DVD rentals?
Redbox may be facing some new restrictions with Fox new releases. Could this be the end of $1 new releases?
Here's a good site for Redbox codes, so your rentals are free!
Here's a good site for Redbox codes, so your rentals are free!
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Tastespotting Wednesday
A few favorites from my perusal of Tastespotting...
Gin and Tonic popscicles?? I was thinking something more like a Mojito popscicle!
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
Monday, August 03, 2009
Lots of books to read
So, with all this time on my hands lately, laundry is done, the kitchen is clean, and books are getting read! I've finished two books in the last week and they were pretty good reads.
The Omnivore's Dilemma
by Michael Pollan
This is one that I've been trying to muddle my way through for over a year. I couldn't figure out why it was difficult to read, but I came to the conclusion that it was sort of like reading a textbook. Needless to say, I finally had some time to get into it and it turned out to be a good book. I'm not one for too much fiction, so this was an informational book about a man's quest to follow the path of food products. Namely, the burger he ate at McDonald's; the presence of corn in the majority of the American diet; a meal as hunters and gathers would have once prepared. When my wonderful friends, Amanda, Gina, and Christy, asked what I was reading on our most recent girls' weekend and I told them I was reading about the reproduction of corn, they somehow thought this was amusing. This book had some interesting information on the boom of organics and how they really compare to conventionally grown produce and meat. In addition, it also addressed the slow food movement, which I didn't know much about, and eating locally versus organically. I have to say that I walked away from the book with more alligence to local growers than organics. Being "certified" organic is an arduous process and one that small growers can's feasibly achieve. If you're looking to be more ecologically friendly in your food choices, does it make sense to buy organic that's from Mexico, or a local grower that didn't use any pesticides? I'd go local. Sometimes, I think you're paying for the label organic, when in all truth, organic is the way things used be... why is it so much more expensive now?
The other book I finished was a quick read...
Julie and Julia
by Julie Powell
This name may ring a bell, the movie is coming out in theaters on Thursday. This book chronicled a 30 year old New Yorker's culinary journey through Julia Child's cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1. The author decided to document her journey through a blog and eventually hit it big with a book deal. She is very brash in her retelling of the events surrounding her cooking and life experiences, and was quite funny. We'll see how the movie measures up. But, the book was a good one. Thanks to my mom for passing along a "happy" read. :)
The Omnivore's Dilemma
by Michael Pollan
This is one that I've been trying to muddle my way through for over a year. I couldn't figure out why it was difficult to read, but I came to the conclusion that it was sort of like reading a textbook. Needless to say, I finally had some time to get into it and it turned out to be a good book. I'm not one for too much fiction, so this was an informational book about a man's quest to follow the path of food products. Namely, the burger he ate at McDonald's; the presence of corn in the majority of the American diet; a meal as hunters and gathers would have once prepared. When my wonderful friends, Amanda, Gina, and Christy, asked what I was reading on our most recent girls' weekend and I told them I was reading about the reproduction of corn, they somehow thought this was amusing. This book had some interesting information on the boom of organics and how they really compare to conventionally grown produce and meat. In addition, it also addressed the slow food movement, which I didn't know much about, and eating locally versus organically. I have to say that I walked away from the book with more alligence to local growers than organics. Being "certified" organic is an arduous process and one that small growers can's feasibly achieve. If you're looking to be more ecologically friendly in your food choices, does it make sense to buy organic that's from Mexico, or a local grower that didn't use any pesticides? I'd go local. Sometimes, I think you're paying for the label organic, when in all truth, organic is the way things used be... why is it so much more expensive now?
The other book I finished was a quick read...
Julie and Julia
by Julie Powell
This name may ring a bell, the movie is coming out in theaters on Thursday. This book chronicled a 30 year old New Yorker's culinary journey through Julia Child's cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 1. The author decided to document her journey through a blog and eventually hit it big with a book deal. She is very brash in her retelling of the events surrounding her cooking and life experiences, and was quite funny. We'll see how the movie measures up. But, the book was a good one. Thanks to my mom for passing along a "happy" read. :)
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
How far can you take Facebook?
Since I don't have much to do around here lately, I've been geeking more and more on Facebook. I've even updated my status. Something I've only done once or twice. So, I'm wondering how far can you take it to friend people in Facebook. We have a college friend who lives in Colorado. He's got some connections in the cycling world (i.e. Lance Armstrong - probably the most well-known to the non-cycling world). Needless to say, can I send a friend request to Lance? How about all those other prolific cyclists? Are they on Facebook to be found by fans?
When I clicked on Lance's profile, which was private, a friend of his that showed publicly was Tom Cruise. I know this to be fact. Can I friend TomKat?
Is there Facebook etiquette when it comes to friending people?
When I clicked on Lance's profile, which was private, a friend of his that showed publicly was Tom Cruise. I know this to be fact. Can I friend TomKat?
Is there Facebook etiquette when it comes to friending people?
Pizza Man
This weekend we ventured over to the east side of Milwaukee to try and catch the Air Show and then the "Great" Downer's Avenue Bike Race. We had time to kill between the two, so we headed to Pizza Man for some pizza. This is a staple of eastside dining, evidently, but we'd never been there. They were also written up in the recent edition of Wine Spectator. So, we thought we'd check it out.
Boy, if we would've known this place was here, this would be THE pizza destination for us... totally worth the drive. I am usually a fan of the thicker crust, even deep dish and Chris is more about the thin crust. We ordered a pizza with the thin crust (house specialty) with spinach, fresh mozzerella and tomatoes. This thin crust was unlike any thin crust I've had before. It was flaky, crispy, and it held up under the sauce and did not get soggy. Even the leftovers were not super soggy. They had some interesting options on the menu, including cream cheese as a topping. Maybe we'll get that adventurous next time. The salads were nothing to write home about and there was no dessert menu. But, keep in mind, this little corner establishment was written up in Wine Spectator. The "August" wine list was a binder of over 500 hundred wines. Some choices had a two glass minimum due to the cost of the bottle. The most expensive glass of wine - single glass - was $65.
I can't wait to go back for another tasty pizza. Mmmmm!
Boy, if we would've known this place was here, this would be THE pizza destination for us... totally worth the drive. I am usually a fan of the thicker crust, even deep dish and Chris is more about the thin crust. We ordered a pizza with the thin crust (house specialty) with spinach, fresh mozzerella and tomatoes. This thin crust was unlike any thin crust I've had before. It was flaky, crispy, and it held up under the sauce and did not get soggy. Even the leftovers were not super soggy. They had some interesting options on the menu, including cream cheese as a topping. Maybe we'll get that adventurous next time. The salads were nothing to write home about and there was no dessert menu. But, keep in mind, this little corner establishment was written up in Wine Spectator. The "August" wine list was a binder of over 500 hundred wines. Some choices had a two glass minimum due to the cost of the bottle. The most expensive glass of wine - single glass - was $65.
I can't wait to go back for another tasty pizza. Mmmmm!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
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