Eat good food: Baked ziti with roasted peppers

The original recipe comes from the Moosewood Restaurant New Classics I have altered it slightly and put my version here.

Ingredients:
Tomoato sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
2 garlic cloves minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 28 oz can of crushed tomoatoes
1 tablespoon of dried Italian seasoning

2 Red peppers, seeded, and cut into long strips
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound penne
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 cups grated provolone cheese
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano

Directions:

In a saucepan, warm the oil and saute the onions, garlic, salt, Italian seasoning, and black pepper on medium heat until the onions are very soft, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile preheat the broiler. Lightly oil a baking pan. Breing a large pot of salted water to boil.

In a bowl toss the peppers with oil. Spread them evenly on the baking pan and broil for about 10 minutes, until soft and slightly brown. Set aside and lower the oven temp to 350 degrees.

When the water boils, add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. While the pasta cooks, stir together the two cheeses, the garlic, basil, and oregano. When the pasts is al dente, drain it and stir it into the cheese mixture.

To assemble, spread 2 cups of the tomato sauce in the baking pan. Layer on the pasta and cheese, the roasted peppers, and finally cover with the rest of the tomato sauce. Bake for 20-30 minutes until piping hot.

What a weekend!

Friday was my birthday. JB took the day off from work so I was able to enjoy a lot of gardening time. Later on we all went out for dinner at American Flatbread and enjoyed some delicious pizza and lovely desserts. I had originally wanted to have some friends over in the evening but because of the holiday weekend most people were away. Despite the lack of a big celebration I felt like it was a very satisfying birthday. I had a wonderful time with my family and received some lovely gifts.

lovely milk glass ring my husband bought me off of Etsy from this wonderful seller

Another gift: the new Neko Case CD. Love it!

JB enjoying a locally brewed beer at American Flatbread

Saturday was a busy day. My littlest turned 4 last week but we had to postpone his birthday party because the whole family got very sick. We recovered in time for this weekend so we had his party on Saturday instead. Just a few of his little friends, pizza and cake. He had a blast. It was low key and nice.

After his party we headed to a goodbye VT party. Some of our closest friends are moving to Boston so they threw an afternoon/early evening celebration that consisted of a keg of Switchback (local VT brew), good food, and great conversation. The weather was gorgeous so we rode our bikes to their house. they live right on the bike path so it is a quick trip for us. It was a lot of fun but very bittersweet. We will miss them deeply.

Sunday was a lounge day for us. We were all exhausted from the festivities the day before so we stayed low key for most of the day. We have become friendly with another family from my son's school and they had invited us over for a BBQ at their house so off we went again. I made a potato salad to bring and surprised myself by eating fish (blue fish) at the party. It was good! I am slowly trying to include fish in my diet (I have been a veggie for 16 years.

new bistro set

Today I splurged and spent some of my birthday money on a three piece bistro set for my deck. I recently lost my glass top table when a wind storm swept my umbrella up and then landed on top of my table shattering it to pieces. I couldn't afford to get a new one this year but thought this little bistro set would do the trick. I just love it! I also recently sold my chiminea pot and used the money to buy a metal fire pit today. I love shopping without really spending any money.

fire bowl

Fairy House

My oldest son just finished the Spiderwick Chronicles and is obsessed with fairies and all the likings. It tickles me pick that he is so into the world of the unseen. I am reading the books now too so I can have a better feel for what is going on in his head right now. I welcome this new phase of imagination and play and I want to encourage it as much as I can. I figured since most of the family is home sick today it might be a good time to build our own fairy house in the back yard. My kids were very excited about this idea. We found some good info on fairy houses here.

The boys found a hollow log we were using for decoration in our garden and they thought it would be perfect. You can also start with sticks and bark or whatever else you can find. The more natural the better. Using glue and rope might be a sign to the fairies that the house is man made and turn them off from entering. We then used some bark, grass, pine cones, broken shells, and dandelions to decorate our house. The last step is to put a small gift to the fairies inside the house.

We had a lot of fun making the fairy house and plan on making more throughout the yard. I can't deny that I still believe in fairies. These houses are as much for me as they are for the kids.

Make one today. They are fun and easy and require no money. Back yard fun is free fun!

Yellow flower fabric earrings

Yellow flower fabric earrings
Originally uploaded by subsixstudios

New for summer! light weight fabric earrings. get them here. Lots of other colors available too.

Craft show recap

here is a picture of my booth

On Saturday I had the spring edition of the Queen City Craft Bazaar. It was my first time talking on the show myself. I had people working with me of course but it was my first solo show without my dear from Sara who started them. Since her move I created a craft organization in Burlington called Queen City Craft. Producing the show is one of the things I do. All in all the show was a big success I think. Spring shows are tough. Summer and the holidays are the biggest selling seasons for crafting. The hits of the economy can be seen at craft shows as well. People were buying but just not as much, and smaller ticket items. I had a great time and I think most of the people involved did as well. If you are interested in seeing pictures from the show click here.

I was thrilled beyond belief to find in my inbox on Monday these two reviews of the show. Not only did they review the show but each one also featured some of my products as well as other crafters from the event.

Not only am I happy for the great reviews, but also because I have found two new indie craft blogs to love.

Here are the two reviews:

Paper + Stitch

Cloth, Paper, Stitches

fruits of my labor

fruits of my labor
Originally uploaded by subsixstudios

Here is a peek at my seedlings that I started indoors this year. I have been bringing them outside every day to harden them off. I planted Basil, oregano, chives, sunflowers, sweet pea, Italian flat parsley, zinnia, cosmo, and lavender.

I look forward to planting them in the garden in a few weeks.

Reusable Errand Bags

We all know we should be using reusable bags when we go to the grocery store. If you are like me you own the big sturdy kind that can hold lots of heavy food items. But what about when you go into the drug store, or one of the box stores to just pick up a few light items. I don't think to bring in my big rugged food shopping bags just to go pick up a new pair of socks. A lighter weight small bag is what you need. Introducing my new line of reusable errand bags made from recycled t-shirts. Making reusable bags from t-shirts is not a new idea. There are tutorials for how to do it all over the Internet. What makes them unique are the types of t-shirts you use. I have several new bags I will be selling at the Queen City Craft Bazaar on May 9th. I may throw a few up in my Etsy shop soon as well.

Welcome Odie!

Two weeks ago tomorrow we picked Odie up in NH. He made the long trek from TN on a truck with lots of other dogs waiting to meet their new owners. It was a crazy drive down because we did it in one day. We thought we would have more time to hang out but it was raining when we got to the pick up site so we just got him off the truck, bonded as much as we could in the rain for a few minutes, then loaded him up in the car and headed back to VT. I can't believe it has only been two weeks because I feel like he has been living with us for months. He is a super sweet and settled into our home immediately. He is very easy going. After our experience with Zimo I am now convinced this was all meant to be.


I have more tales to tell about this past week. I will fill you in this weekend. Right now I must go enjoy my deck because it is so warm out and the kids are in bed.

xoxo

Sorry for the slight disappearance. Things have been a bit hectic over here. My husband went away for work and of course I got hit with the worst migraine I have had in a long time. I think the last when was during another work trip of his. Pattern here anyone? Yes I know that stress is one of the many triggers of my headaches. They have been in control (somewhat) over the past few years. I still get them daily but I hadn't had one that knocked me on the couch for some time. Mostly I can just walk around with them and look semi normal. Since the death of our dog, John's travels, money problems (the list goes on) I have noticed an increase in my headaches. Luckily I have an appointment in May to see a new Dr at a great headache clinic. I am not holding out hope but I am excited to see if they have anything new tell me.

Odie

In some exciting news we have decided to adopt another dog. His name is Odie and he is between 12-15 months old. He was a stray and spent a lot of time in a shelter in TN before finding a wonderful foster home where he has been for the past 4 months. We went through the same organization where we got Zimo. Golden Huggs Rescue. I know I have said it before but the two woman who run this and their team of volunteers are amazing! If you live in Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Maine or Vermont and are considering rescuing a dog please try this organization.

We were supposed to pick up Odie last Saturday but tornadoes hit TN pretty hard and he missed getting on the transport truck. We were sad to not be able to get him but we are glad he and his foster mom are ok. So he will make the trek from TN to NH this week instead and we will travel to NH to get him on Saturday. We are all very excited to meet our new best friend.

Besides getting the house and yard ready for Odie I have been planting more seeds (lavender, basil, and zinnias) and working on my garden beds. The garlic I planted last fall is now peeking out in my raised bed. I love growing garlic. Last year was my first attempt. I hope I get a better yield this time.

I have also had my head deep in planning a spring craft show. I run an organization called Queen City Craft and I will be putting on the spring edition of the Queen City Craft Bazaar on May 9th. 46 amazing indie crafters will be there selling their wares.

I am going to put S down for his nap and cuddle on the couch with a cup of tea. It is cold and damp here today. Bring back the warmth!

xoxo

Spring is in the air

The snow in my yard is almost gone. Once the afternoon sun warms up the ground my boots sometimes squish in the mud. I love that. The air smells fresh and the birds are coming back. Signs of spring are all around. Yesterday I got out in the yard to start some raking. I cleared out my front yard garden bed and discovered some tulips popping up. I planted a ton of fall bulbs last year so I am very excited to see what new treasures I will find this year.

my herb and flower flat

italian flat parsley

A few weeks ago I started some seeds inside. I planted Italian flat parsley, oregano, chives and snap dragons. I haven't planted from seed too many times before so I decided to start with herbs and flower this year and stick to buying my veggies from plant.

chives

I have been busy working on my garden plan. I want to add to more small grow beds for my kids to call their own. After reading this great book called Grow it, Cook it each kid decided what they want to plant in their gardens. I also plan on ripping up more grass (hate it) and putting in a new path way that leads to my grow bed area. I will be adding low creeping thyme between the stepping stones and around the edges of my raised beds.

Last fall I started working on creating a children's garden. I moved the sandbox and playhouse to one area of the yard and dug out a half circle of garden space around it. My plan is to grow tall bush like plants giving the area a wall creating a "secret" space for the kids to play.

I absolutely love this time of the year. I sit on my deck sipping warm tea, staring at my yard dreaming of what I can do this upcoming season.

Happy spring!

Moving on

Friday was a week since Zimo's death. Needless to say it was a very long week. The warm spring weather didn't help our grief. I found myself pining for his companionship. I missed taking him on walks, playing outside and trips to the dog park. I miss him. I surprised myself though and started looking through the list of available dogs for adoption. At first I felt guilty and then I found it brought great comfort to me for some reason. The experience of adopting a dog in need had such an impact on my life I now realize I will be involved with adoption forever.

The day Zimo died I swore I would never get another pet. I could not possibly go through this level of loss again. As the week went on and I had more time to reflect I suddenly realized I was thinking about it all in the wrong way. I could not let my fear of loss hold me back. I had in fact chosen to get pregnant again after losing my first baby despite the incredible amount of loss and grief losing "little" brought me. Loving and losing is hard but if we are so afraid of it why do we get married, have children, form friendships, or get into relationships when we know one day we will lose them all? We do it because we were meant to love. For this reason I have decided that adopting another dog is what I want to do. My family on the other hand might not be quite so ready. I will need to give them the time they need to grieve and heal in their own way and when we are all ready we will make the decision together.

The hard part is I actually found a dog from the adoption list that in my opinion seems perfect for us. I can't stop thinking about him. he is currently in a foster home but needs to find a forever home. When you adopt a dog out of foster care you are actually saving two lives. The dog you adopt and another one because once you rescue the dog out of the foster home it opens up a space for another dog to be pulled out of the high kill shelter and give them a longer chance at living. It is a wonderful thing.

My heart will always love Zimo but I know I have room to love again. I choose to believe he would want us to save another one of his friends from the South who so desperately want to be adopted.

Goodbye sweet Zimo

Zimo at about 3 months. This was the picture we saw in the Internet and fell in love with.

Our beloved Zimo, who we adopted last summer passed away on Friday. He was 11 months old. It happened within a matter of minutes. He has been healthy with absolutely no problems whatsoever. He had a normal day at home with me today as he always does. At around 4:00 as the kids were sitting on the couch and I was at my desk, Zimo was laying on his favorite dog bed in the middle of the living room and he started convulsing. I immediately called the emergency vet number but as I was on the phone with them getting directions in a matter of minutes his bowls went and the convulsions started slowing down. I knew at this point he was gone. I ran next door to get my neighbor to watch the kids so I could rush him to the vet but she confirmed he was really gone. I don't understand. He went from normal to dead in 5 minutes. We are told it must have been a genetic issue with his heart or brain. There were no warning signs, he did not seem to suffer at all. It just happened so fast. Before I could really understand what was happening he was gone.

Getting Zimo off the truck after his trip from Tennessee.


getting ready for the drive back to VT

Adopting Zimo was a long journey for us. We took a few years discussing the idea of getting a dog and researching what we wanted to get. Zimo came into our life on a whim. We adopted him from a local rescue organization called Golden Hugs Rescue. They rescue dogs who are homeless in the South and have them transported to the East Coast. We fell in love with his picture on the Internet and traveled to NH to meet him after his long journey from Tennessee.

He was young and crazy at first but quickly became a part of our family.

I miss everything. I miss his dog hair all over the house, I miss having to take him out go to the bathroom on freezing cold days, I miss our long walks, I miss taking him to the dog park, I miss playing ball in the back yard, and I miss his non stop need for love and attention. I miss him. This morning after dropping off the kids at school, coming home to an empty house was very hard. The house is so quiet and I just don't know what to do with my self right now. It just doesn't seem fair.

We are beside ourselves with grief. He was just about to turn 1 and was just way too young.

I don't know that I can do this again. A part of me wants to adopt again soon because life without a dog seems so strange now. The other part of me is so afraid to go through this loss again. I know what happened to Zimo was very rare but it hurts so much to think about it. I can't get the image of my puppy dying in front of me out of my head. For some reason I am finding comfort in looking at other rescue dogs who need homes. At first I felt guilty about doing it but now I see it more as an honor to Zimo.

enzo with his best pal Zimo last month.

I have no regrets about adopting him. He was meant to be on this earth for a short time for some reason but we rescued him when he needed a home and we gave him a wonderful life while he was here. Please consider adoption if you are getting a pet. We learned through this process that there are so many unwanted animals out there. Zimo had been found in a box with 10 other puppies. Just left by themselves. If you are in VT, ME, NH, MA please consider Golden Huggs Rescue. I cannot even being to explain how incredibly helpful they were to us from the beginning to the end. If and when we are ever ready to take on another dog we will absolutely rescue with them again.



Thank you Zimo for coming into our lives and showing us how much love we have to give. I regret that your last day with us wasn't the best. It was too cold and icey to play ball outside, I had too many errands to run to spend as much quality time with you that day as I normally do. I wish I had stopped and given you one last hug before you went away. I will continue to feel good about the fact that we gave you a loving home and you were able to be at home with me every singe day since we got you. I have learned to slow down a little bit more and make sure each day I have with my family is the best it can be. Life is short and unpredictable. Hug the ones you have in your life - human and non just a bit tighter today.

Yesterday is gone, tomorrow does not yet exist, we only really have today.

Goodbye Zimo. We love you very much.

xoxo

Tea

Tea
Originally uploaded by subsixstudios

I am a lover of tea. I used to be a lover of coffee but we got into a big fight after I had my babies and we broke up. Since then tea has been my daily calm. My favorite tea right now is Yogi Tea lemon ginger in the morning and Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice in the afternoon. A good hot cup of chamomile is always the best way to end the day before bed.

looking for light

I feel like I am losing it today. Money, winter blues, it's all adding up.

breaded polenta cutlets

This is one of my new favorite recipes. It is from the Moosewood Restaurant New Classic cookbook. (I have only changed the original slightly by omitting ground fennel.) I served these with potato parsnip gratin, green beans and a salad. The kids chose to dip them in ketchup (big surprise), and I found they were great as leftovers too.

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
2 1/2 cups water
1 cup cornmeal or dried polenta
1 cup chopped onions
1 or 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (optional)
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 cup herbed bread crumbs
(to make your own breadcrumbs pulverize stale or lightly toasted whole wheat, sourdough, or french bread in a blender or food processor. Mix in 1/4 teaspoon of mixed dried herbs, such as basil, oregano, thyme, and marjoram, and add a dash of salt and black pepper)

Directions:
1. Bring the salt and water to a boil. Gradually pour in the cornmeal and stir briskly with a whisk until the polenta begins to thicken. Lower heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until the polenta tastes done.

2. Meanwhile, saute the onions and garlic in the oil on medium heat for about 7 minutes. Remove the cooked polenta from the heat. Stir in the onion/garlic mixture, and if using , the cheese. Add salt to taste.

3. Pour the hot polenta onto an oiled baking tray or 10 inch pie pan to about 3/4 inch thick. Spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. The polenta will thicken as it cools. *Side note - Polenta can be refrigerated for 3-4 days so you could always do this step one day and finish the dish another.

4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly oil a baking sheet.

5. In a large bowl, whisk the egg until foamy and then whisk in the milk. Place the bread crumbs in a separate shallow bowl. With a table knife, cut the cooled polena into squares, rectangles, diamonds, or other shapes. Line up in order the pan of cutlets, the egg mixture, the bread crumbs, and the oiled baking sheet.

6. Lift one cutlet at a time with a spatula and dip it into the egg mixture. A light coating of egg is best, so gently shake off the excess. Then dip each cutlet in the bowl of bread crumbs and coat well. Arrange the breaded cutlets on the baking sheet about one inch apart.

7. Bake for 35 minutes until golden brown on both sides, turning once after about 20 minutes.

enjoy!

DIY Domestic - Changing up your house on the cheap.

I bought my little house 4 years ago and since then the list of what I want to do to it has grown. Being on a tight budget has taught me how to change things up on the cheap. The past few summers I have worked on the garden and yard. The house came with a well established perennial garden so it has been easy to transform my yard without having to buy new buy using what I have by creating new gardens, moving plants and starting new ones. It is a labor of love that I so thoroughly enjoy. This however only feeds my DIY domestic bug in the summer months. During the winter I am trapped inside going crazy. I have found several simple ways to make a difference in your home for not much money.

1. Reorganize your furniture. It is amazing what a difference this can make. It is very common in my house for my husband to leave for work and come home to a room that has been completely changed up. When the bug strikes I need to attack. Last week it was my kitchen that was calling me. First thing I did was move a few pieces of furniture around. I don't have a ton of options because of where my woodstove is but I was able to make pretty big difference by making a few small moves. I don't have a before picture but here are the afters:

after

The table used to be in the middle of the room and the hoosier cabinet was on the opposite wall where that large picture is now hanging. Before the it was even there it lived in our living room and was filled with office papers. I finally took down this large ugly wall mounted coat rack (where the picture on the left is now) and we started hanging out coats up in the living room closet instead. It is amazing how much less cluttered it looked. Next up in this room will be paint on the walls and one day (after I win the lottery) new flooring.

The next day I attacked the other side of the kitchen. The side I cringe at each day. The cabinets are very dark, it has an old built in oven and separate cook top (both almond colored) with very tired looking counter tops and hideous back splash tiling. My long term goal is to rip out all the cabinets, get a normal one piece range, add a dishwasher and create a free standing kitchen with no cabinets. I am addicted to free standing kitchens, but I will talk more about that later.

Since this won't happen for sometime my short term goal is to paint the cabinets this spring. I'm getting way off track here with my kitchen dreams. Back to reality. Number 2 on the list of easy DIY domestic changes to make to you home is:

2. Declutter. Decluttering your home makes it look bigger, cleaner, and gives you such satisfaction. So the next day I started with decluttering some of the cabinets. It felt so amazing to finally clean out the junk drawer that hadn't been touched in about 4 years.

3. Take a little here / Give a little there. This means take down a shelf you don't like or remove a door that makes the house more open etc.

My next project using #3 was creating a shoe/hat closet. One of my biggest pet peeves about my house is not having a porch or mudroom. We remove our shoes when we enter the house but I cannot stand piles of shoes and wet boots on the floor in my kitchen. I have tried it all. I had shoe rack, shoe box, shoe bucket, you name it and we tried it. It never satisfied me. The other day a light bulb went off in my head. Next to the side door which we use to come and go from the house is a large food closet that sits between the refrigerator and the door. When you swing open the first door a door with shelves then swings out to the right opening up to more shelving inside a very deep closet. We have been using this for food storage since we lived in the house. The swinging door has been bugging us so I decided to take it off, clean out the food (most of which could be thrown out of moved to other cabinets), placed a mud tray on the bottom and moved my hat/mitten baskets to the other shelves. Instant boot closet. Now the kids come in, take off their stuff and put it away in the closet. My kitchen floor doesn't look like a mess of boots and shoes anymore and all is good. Here are the before and after pics. The picture quality is crappy but you will get the drift.

Before as a food closet

After as a boot and hat closet

Other cheap ways to change up your house

4. paint
5. change up the pictures on your walls, make new art etc.
6. add plants

what have you done? anything else to add to the list?

Big step

I have talked about my love of writing poetry here before. I have been writing since I was very young. I was very active in college by reading and performing at special events, taking poetry writing classes, and I was even published twice in the literary magazine published by the school. Since college though I have not publicly read or submitted my work. I recently stumbled upon a local event happening here in Burlington called F@#* Valentines Day poetry night. I have decided the time is right. I am going for it. I plan on attending and signing up to read. Last night I pulled out some of my older notebooks and my final portfolio I did for my last poetry class. Reading my professors final words gave me the inspiration I needed to do this. Her final statement was "You will be a strong writer if you want to be. Keep reading and keep writing." I am not sure why I have put this on the back burner but it is time to move it to the front.

At first I started to stress about how I would pick just one to be my first. Then it hit me and I just knew. I have waited 15 years to read this one particular poem and I can't wait!

wish me luck!

Winter reflections

I have officially hit a slump. Call it the mid winter blues if you will but I have hit hard. I used to love winter back when I could actually snowboard. Two kids and no money makes that pretty hard these days. Everything seems harder in the winter. Putting on and taking off all the necessary layers multiple times a day, trying to find a way to exercise the dog, and trying to find a way to exercise me are adding up to my hatred of winter. I am a summer gal. I am a garden goddess. I need to spend at least part of every day digging in the dirt. I love taking breaks from working by sitting in the warm sun in my backyard with a cup of tea.

Now I sip my tea indoors, looking out my back slider at the mounds of snow covering my garden beds, covering my backyard living space, covering up my release. I feel stuffed. Stuffed inside this tiny cottage with no privacy, no air, no movement. During the summer my living space expands and I finally have more room to breath. My deck becomes my night time hang out - giving my husband and I space if we need it. I can talk on the phone in peace or build a backyard fire to relax and get away from the computer and TV.

I love my backyard. Every winter around this time I start planning my garden. What to plant in the existing beds, where to put some new beds, what part of the yard I can dig up and transform this year. I enjoy making a garden journal with my children. We list out what we want to plant, make a map, and then we take before and after pictures each season. It is also a great way to record what worked or didn't work in your garden.

Winter isn't all that bad I guess. I do welcome the slowness and reflection it brings each year. I am not quite sure I would actually want to garden all year long. It is nice to take a break from yard work and get refreshed for the next season. I love watching my kids playing in the snow. There is something priceless about the simple act of sledding, building snowmen, and sticking you tongue high into the air to catch a fresh flake.

I guess instead of letting the winter blues take over I will choose to enjoy the last few months where it is ok to slow down and reflect. Summer will be here before I know it and so will raking leaves, entertaining two kids on vacation, daily yard work, bike rides, trips to the lake, park adventures, camping, house projects - and the list goes on and on. See, I'm exhausted already just talking about it. Instead I will go start up the wood stove, make a pot of tea and enjoy the winter stillness.

25 things about me

I was tagged to do this on facebook but I thought I would share the list here for my non facebook readers.


1. I suffer from daily chronic headaches. I am good at hiding it. You may see me acting normal but almost every day my head is throbbing.

2. My husband and I only knew each other for one year before getting married.

3. I love talking on the phone

4. I have been writing poetry since I was in elementary school. One of my dreams is to self publish books of my stuff.

5. I have never been to NYC

6. I miss living in San Francisco so much but I can't imagine ever leaving VT again.

7. All of my friends are from random times in my life. I hate how spread out they all are.

8. I love beer. I can't stand liquor or drink wine but the taste of beer is oh so fine.

9. My mother was diagnosed with MS this year and my nephew had his second brain surgery for epilepsy. It has been a tough year.

10. I love gardening. It is like therapy for me.

11. I love staying home with my kids but sometimes I do miss adult interaction.

12. Since having my kids I can no longer drink coffee. I used to drink it daily but now my body can't take it.

13. Sometimes I think the internet has killed my ability to write in my journal. When I pick up a pen now it is hard to actually write with one. I have been keeping a journal since high school but the pages are not filling up like they once did. It bothers me because blogging is such a filtered view on things. I am too afraid to be completely honest on my blog in fear of pissing people off.

14. I am very sensitive to music. A certain artist or song will bring me to tears.

15. I wear an eye mask to bed because other wise I see things in my room at night.

16. I haven't eaten meat in 17 years.

18. I am an Italian, Irish, Gemini who is typically fiery and loud.

19. I wear my heart on my sleeve.

20. I hate watching sports

21. One of the most delightful things in my life is when my two boys climb in my bed on weekend mornings and snuggle until we all get up.

22. I love my two kids more than anything in this world.

23. I have a super close relationship with my mother. She is my best friend and we talk almost daily.

24. I had an emergency appendectomy when I was 7 months pregnant with Sal.

25. I have had 4 different operations and have 5 scars on my body from them.

Playdates make me scream

I can't stand the term playdate. It really bugs me. I don't know what it is about that word but it makes me cringe. A playdate is a scheduled time of supervised play arranged at someone's house, the park or other family friendly place. It's not that I don't want my kid socializing with others it's just that it all feels so forced. I was introduced to the world of playdates once my oldest child started Kindergarten last year. Before that he just hung out with any kid that my friends happened to have. Once we hit Kindergarten the rules change and playdates begin.

I have been lucky so far that the friends he has made and wanted to hook up with outside of school we have approved of. The families are great and the kids are great so it has worked out well for us. He is in 1st grade now so we have a little bit of experience with play dates under our belts now. The problem is I suck at them.

I am not good at inviting kids to my house. I know it and I was reminded of it yesterday when I received an email from a mom who basically asked me if her child could ever be invited to our house since they have had my son so many times. At first I was taken aback by her honesty but she is right. I am totally behind in keeping up with my end of the play date circle. I owe a few people some dates at my house.

I can't really explain it and I know I will be better about it during the summer months but right now it is just hard for me. We are not an over scheduled family. We don't play organized sports. I like the kids to come home after school, do their homework and chill. Perhaps it is the way I was raised. My sister is the complete opposite though. Her family never stops. School days, weekends, whenever, those kids are maxed out with sports. They are always coming and going and just hearing about makes me not be able to breath. Every family is different though and you have to do what works for you. It works for them, but it could never work for me.

I am sorry to anyone who might feel our playdate circle has been uneven. I promise to try harder.