Booster Seat Bowling

Jesse captured this amazing little game that the girls made up. They are so awesome. Please excuse the sound of the coffee roaster in the back- kind of noisy.

Halloween Party

On Wednesday Madeline had her school Halloween party. I was very happy to sign up to make cupcakes. Lana was very nice to help we with a pumpkin cupcake with cream cheese icing recipe. They turned out soooooo good. Madeline was very proud to bring them to school.

I loved using my new cookie press that my Gram gave me for the icing. It made them look so cute. Thanks Gram!

CRUSH OFFICIALLY OVER!!!!

Sorry Geoff, but I used to have a huge crush on you until I saw this terrible video. Wow, I thought I was a shotty song writer. (please don't watch the whole video!)



Now I have a huge crush on Ben.

Last Night's Topic

"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher.
"Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."
What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?
Generations come and generations go,but the earth remains forever.
The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.
The wind blows to the south and turns to the north;
round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.
All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from, there they return again.
All things are wearisome, more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.
What has been will be again, that has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there anything of which one can say,
"Look! This is something new"?
It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.
There is no remembrance of men of old,
and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow.

First Foods

Some where between the birth of Jane and the birth of Penny I became "super earth - make your own baby food" mamma. I don't really know what happened, but all of a sudden I am eating my placenta, feeding my plants with ..., became a doula, had a natural birth, and on the calmer side- making my own baby food.
So, when Penny started showing signs of wanting to eat I pulled out some sweet potato mash I had made and kept in the freezer and fed her. I think the liked them- although she was a little timid.

Daily Candy

The girls made it on!

Daily Candy

Blanket Peek-a-Boo

This morning I was so happy that Leann came over. I definately woke up on the wrong side of the bed- and so did the girls- so it was nice to have a friend come over to chat with and keep me sane. We made some of our favorite cookies and played blanket peek-a-boo. It was a nice morning.

Now, I have to get out of the bad mood I am in now to deal with the afternoon. The toddlers decided they didn't want to take a nap and came down as soon as I was finished cleaning the bathroom and our bedroom. I feel like today is one of those days I will not get a break until they go to sleep tonight. Thankfully our temporary roommate Lana is making dinner. I will be sad to see her go.

So right now Yo Gabba Gabba is watching my kids so I can have my computer fix.

Pizza Night

Every Friday evening we make homemade pizza. This morning Madeline told Jesse that she wanted to make happy face pizzas, so we had to give it a try.

Penny in the Tub

Bath time is a blast at our house. 3 girls in a tub- rub a dub dub. You would think we had enough fun that it would inspire us to give them a bath more than once a week. ha!

Pirate Girls 9

Madeline and Jane are totally obsessed with They Might Be Giants. I think that we have listened to the 123's album 100 times. If you have been over within the last couple months I am sure you have shared in the constant dance party we have going on here. OR if you haven't, time to come over and "wiggle like a noodle" with us.

Pirate Girls 9 and One Dozen Monkeys are Madeline's favorites. She knows all the words- it is super cute.

Blogworthy Sauce

Homemade Tomato Sauce

2 Tbs olive oil
6 cloves garlic
1 medium onion
- saute in pan until onions are clearish brown
then add
1 green pepper
1 roasted red pepper
3 medium tomatoes
4 Tbs pesto
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste
use immersion blender to hide veggies from children

make during nap time and let simmer covered until dinner time

Band Photo

Band Photo

Banning Hugs

I love current TV- best channel ever. (yes it competes with bravo) As I was watching infomania the other day, this video came up.


ps: Remember when teens were into smoking weed, getting pregnant and drinking Zima? You won't believe what they're into now.



As someone who feels completely awkward hugging people (I must be hug deprived) I really enjoyed this video.

Fairy Children

My friend Dawn asked me if my children were available to take some pictures for a store in the piazza. Of course I said yes! It is funny how these things keep coming up. I am definitely happy to have great pictures of the girls.

Best Invention Ever

I love grilled veggies- if you do, you will get this awesome thing- ha! It makes grilling vegetables so much easier. (you just chop 'em up and throw them in the basket) I usually grill a bunch up then save them in the fridge for the rest of the week. I will put them in the food processor to add to pasta sauce or beans to sneak them into the girls diet. MMmmm.

Matchless

Last night I played up in Brooklyn with the boys. I was a little nervous about being sick (and not having a voice) but I knew that I was going to be fine. The show was great and we had a lot of fun. Tonight we are playing at KFN in Philadelphia, hopefully I didn't trash my voice more last night. I am really hoping that I can will myself well.

4 hours of sleep and 3 babies to care for- sweet! I am sure I am going to be super pleasant today. ha!

Also, how awesome is Jesse, he got me these boots!

Way to go Jesse! You are the best husband ever!

Mother Lover

If you don't like things mildly obscene then this post is not for you. But, for those who love SNL shorts you will be happy to know that more than half of the hits on my site are from people googling "mother lover."

Through the Girls Eyes

I love handing the camera to Madeline and Jane. It is funny to see things through their eyes.

Picture by Madeline:


Picture by Jane:

Chili Outside, Warm in the Belly

Chili is definitely one of those dishes I always make really good or really terrible. I think I did alright, so I wanted to share this recipe. The only thing I would do differently (next time) would be to add some TVP to make it seem meaty.

Vegetarian Chili

1 onion
1 red pepper
6 cloves garlic
1 small hot pepper
2 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1/4 cup BBQ sauce
1 heaping TBS chili powder
1 TBS rosemary
1 TBS cumin
1 Tsp oregano

let it stew in a pot for a couple hours. I made mine during nap time so it was ready for dinner. I don't think it would taste bad if it didn't simmer all day either. I like the feeling of having dinner done early in the day.

garnish with sour cream, smoked gouda (or cheddar), chips and fresh tomatoes and cilantro

When I prepared the girls dishes I made a flower for them. They dipped the chip in the chili and used them as "spoons."

Ghost

I don't know how it started but Madeline and Jane have been obsessed with ghosts. Every time they see a halloween ghost they freak out. As I was perusing my google reader I came across this craft, which was perfect for their age and attention span. They also have been constantly asking to listen to "Just like a Ghost" by Gasoline Heart. We are going on tour with Gasoline Heart this week. I am pretty pumped. I am only going to be able to do the first 3 shows, but regardless, I am excited to sing and "shake it."
They also have been asking for this song:





I have mixed feelings about Tegan and Sara (I think they are pretty boring), but whatever- it is not super annoying kid music.

Who would have thought

Who would have thought- tomatoes in October?!!!
I tried growing tomato plants from seeds this year. I was a little late on getting them outside (you know, busy having a baby and all) and I thought that they wouldn't make it. Around the beginning of September I got 3 little green tomatoes. I went out back today and BEHOLD 3 little red tomatoes.

Apple Pie Time

Today has been a great day.
The girls and I hung up some fall decorations and made a homemade apple pie. MMMmmm.
I also started to write down my "wing it" recipes. Some days I make killer dinners and other days they totally flop. I am ready to be a little more consistent.

Tell me what you think- if you make it yourself.

Apple Pie

Crust:
2 sticks butter
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
about 1/4 cup ice water

-stick butter, salt, sugar and flour in mixer and mix until it is a corn meal consistency
-add ice water until dough forms
-make 2 discs of dough then put in fridge
-make filling then roll out when ready

Filling:
8 cups sliced apples (no skins)
1/3 cup brown sugar
4 TBS corn starch
1 TBS cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger powder
3 TBS lime juice

fill pie and put crust on top. I usually put an egg wash on top then garnish with turbinado sugar.

bake for 45min at 350