i heart faces (week 12)

this week's contest was about "pouty" faces...

i consider this a "pre-pout" face. the 'i don't know whether to cry or laugh, but mom seems to think it's funny and is now taking another picture of me' face. love it!

the incredible edible egg

this is the only way these boys will eat eggs...and how can you blame them?!!


it takes some serious concentration to figure out how much icing and sprinkles you can possibly put on one cookie.
oops...wasn't quick enough to get a picture of abram's cookies!

caleb & eli will proudly disply theirs for you though...


and last, but not least...the boys described my egg as "beautiful" :) yes, a far cry from beautiful, but i thought it was sweet anyway :)

i'm dreaming...

of a white, sandy beach.
instead, i'm stuck in rainy, cold indiana during this spring break. maybe a few pictures of our last trip to the beach will take away the dreariness of this day.

blogger 12 step program??

i woke up at 1am and realized i had been dreaming about blogs. what's even worse though was that i sat awake for another hour trying to think of a way to blog about it. yes, i'm admitting it...step 1...check!

tracy's tostadas

my recipe for this week is an original...yahoo! i've seen similar recipes, but none that were exactly the taste i was going for so i tried my own. jerry and i both agreed, it's a definite keeper and good enough to share, for sure!! even my vegetarian friends will enjoy this one!
4 soft taco tortillas
1 can black beans (drained, rinsed)
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup frozen corn (thawed)
1 small onion, diced
6 oz mexican blend shredded cheese
shredded lettuce
1 tomato, chopped
sour cream
mix beans, rice, corn, and onion together. place tortillas on a cookie sheet. spread bean mixture equally onto each tortilla, then top each with a handful of cheese. bake in oven at 400 degrees for about 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted. remove from oven and top with lettuce, tomato, and sour cream. cut into 4 pieces and enjoy! if you like extra hot...top yours off with a few jalapenos, like my husband did!

rhinoplasty

i've never claimed to be a seamstress, but when my sweet little preschooler came crying to me with this nose-less, mouth-less, pathetic-looking kitty...

i found my cheap travel sewing kit and performed minor outpatient surgery in my living room! kitty now has a brand new, pink nose and a cute little smile. surely this qualifies as experience for my nursing resume :)
ok, so don't enlarge this picture...it really is a HORRIBLE job! he was happy and that's what mattered, but my goodness, my mom would be so ashamed of me!

i heart faces (week 11)

my sister-in-law introduced me to this blog...we both are amateur/wannabe, one day when we have time/money kind of photography gals...
anyway, i saw the entry for today was to be a "no flash" photo and remembered this precious picture of abram from last summer.
this flirty little grin and a hint of bright green grass are the perfect match for his blonde hair and blue eyes :)

dirt

the evidence of a hard day's work!!

nothin' like a new ride...

and helmets, of course, to welcome the 1st weekend of spring!

being the youngest, abram actually didn't get a brand new bike or helmet, but it was new to him :) he did get some new accessories though...a bell and a horn which he called a "trumpet"!!

get your bloggin' party on!

this is my 1st time to join in on the free fun, so come with me! just click on the blog party button here...you can win prizes, check out other fun blogs, etc.
for my fellow blogger partying friends who've stopped by to visit and don't know me...that's me, tracy, pictured above...i'm a 30 something wife and mother of 3 energetic, handsome boys. i work as a nurse part time at a hospital in downtown indianapolis which is actually way less "work" than being at home! there's lots of things i love besides the 4 fabulous men in my life :) a few are...music, cooking/baking, scrapbooking, and photography (although i'm not very good yet). my true passion lies in my creativity, although i haven't quite figured out how to use it completely yet. i'm excited to see what God has in store for me as i continue on this sacred journey of parenthood...for now :) thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave me a comment to tell me more about you!
ps. if i were to win a prize...i'd love #19, #41, or #49...thanks!

caesar pitas

this week i tried a new, simple recipe i found in my recent food & family magazine. it was fantastic! it was so fresh and had an awesome flavor. even if you're not a huge caesar dressing fan, i still think you'd like this (or you can substitute with ranch dressing). the recipe calls for roasted red peppers, but i used fresh ones and it was yummy. we had leftover pitas after the initial batch of filling was gone, so i got more turkey and romaine and added tomatoes instead of the peppers...just as yummy!! i think this will be one of our favorite spring/summer lunches. i served it with some apple slaw and like i said, it was fresh, flavorful, and tasty!

4 cups torn romaine lettuce
6 oz deli smoked turkey breast
1/4 cup roasted red peppers
3 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup classic caesar dressing
4 pita breads, warmed, cut in half
toss lettuce with turkey, peppers, cheese, and dressing. spoon into warm pitas.
(adapted from kraft food & family)

from eli

and in the spirit of st. patrick's day, i had to include this picture of caleb with his doggie/clover hat that he made at storytime...i thought it was a very cute idea!

museum

if you ever visit our house, you will quickly learn that legos take up about 1/2 of at least 2 of our children's rooms...big ones, little ones, tiny ones...they're everywhere!! so when the lego exhibit came to the children's museum, we knew we had to make a visit. what made it even better was that eli and caleb are WAY into castle lego stuff right now. the museum did a great job with their lego castle adventure and we all had a great time!
sitting on the throne in the castle.

a lego suit of armor.
these big, rubbery legos were awesome...i want some for our house!
making our own shields, crowns, and catapults.
a ginormous knight made of legos! (abram was trying to escape the stroller, that's why his legs look twice the size of his body here!)
daddy helps abram fire the catapult.
caleb's turn...
and eli's turn...
the lego dragon was pretty awesome too.
the highlight of abram's day...he said, "thanks for the ride, giraffe" :)

specks

caleb took daddy on his preschool field trip to the pet store yesterday. he got to ride the big bus which is always a highlight. he enjoyed seeing and petting lots of animals, but most of all i think he liked that daddy was with him :)

brown sugar chicken

i've been asked more than a few times to post some of my recipes, so i think i'm gonna start doing a "recipe of the week". some will be tried and true recipes, others will be brand new ones that are for sure to be a hit at your dinner table. here's the first one which i posted on facebook due to popular demand :) it was quite tasty. i might try to add red pepper flakes next time for a little kick. my kids even liked this one! i served it with salty green beans to accent the sweetness of the chicken...enjoy!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or you can use pieces of chicken, ie. thighs, legs)
1 c brown sugar
1/4 c lemon-lime soda (i used diet sierra mist)
2/3 c vinegar (i used white vinegar)
1/2 tsp garlic powder (or you can use 3 garlic cloves chopped)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp pepper

mix all ingredients and pour over chicken in crockpot. cook on low 6-8 hours. serve over rice with a ladle full of broth...enjoy!!

(adapted from crockpot lady)

i pick my battles

and this one wasn't worth the fight. i mean, clearly, you need 8 spoons and 1 fork to eat pudding!

yes, i let him have another, so we're moving on to chocolate...
that was worth it, right?!

meditating?!

no, he's just a "humming statue"...oh, so that's it?!! never a dull moment around here, i tell ya!!

"cooker"

i know i've mentioned before that caleb loves to cook/bake. he is fascinated with anything in the kitchen. if he hears a mixer, pans banging, etc, he's running in to help and see what i'm making. he really does have a genuine interest and can even smell and name spices. he's told me he wants to be a "cooker" and that he has to watch me and help so that he knows how to make things when he's a "grown up". here he is today whisking the homemade soup i was making while i cut up the chicken. i love it.