She's coming!

Who is "she," you ask?

Wait for it...

"SHE," is my MOTHER-IN-LAW!

The good news is I love her, so it's a good thing that she's coming to visit.

The bad news is that my house isn't ready and I'm going to be up late trying to make sure it gets somewhat presentable.

It's been three months since we moved in and I still feel like I'm unpacking. Seriously, I have no idea when or if it will ever end.

Anyway...just wish me luck and stay tuned for an update about our visit with Grandma Beverly. The last time she came to visit us the girls were just eight-months old. We've seen her since, of course, but not on our turf. Boy how time flies!

What's for dinner?

Although it's more of an appetizer, the dinner we're most enjoying in my house is the Chicken Wreath, made on a baking stone.

I recently made two in one night -- one for the family and one for recipe club -- and they were both a hit.

The following recipe is an altered version of a recipe from Pampered Chef.





Baking Stone Chicken Wreath

Ingredients:
1 can (10 oz.) Chunk White Chicken; drained and flaked
½ cup Red Bell Pepper; chopped
1 small bunch Broccoli; chopped
1 cup Colby-Jack Cheese; shredded
1/3 cup Mayonnaise
1 tsp. Lemon Juice
½ tsp. Salt
2 pkgs. (8 oz.) Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

Directions:
Mix ingredients. Arrange crescent roll triangles into a circle or “sun” pattern on baking stone. Wide ends of triangles should overlap in the center with points facing toward the outside. Scoop mixture evenly onto widest end of each triangle. Bring outside points of triangles up over filling and tuck under wide ends of dough at the center of the ring. (Filling will not be completely covered.) Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

ENJOY!

Fall is here!

Miss Independent and Little Miss
October 2009

Okay, so it's not officially Fall until Tuesday, but it's close enough.

I was sorting through old photos today and came across this one from last year. We were living in Maryland and drove way out into the middle of nowhere to a pumpkin farm someone told us about. It was a drizzling day, but we figured all was well. However, when we finally arrived at the farm we were crushed to find out it was closed. It was a Chevy Chase Wally World moment for sure.

We kept driving and ended up at an Amish Farmer's Market. Despite the rain, we enjoyed picking out fresh fruits and vegetables -- including a couple of pumpkins -- as well as some yummy made-from-scratch cookies and sweet breads.

Anyway, reflecting on that day was all I needed to put me into a Fall State of Mind. I'm looking forward to things like:

• The State Fair
• The girl's birthday party
• The leaves changing colors
• The pumpkin farm
• Lower temperatures
• Caramel apples
• Trick-or-treating
• Pumpkin Pie

And so much more!

It's just about my most favorite time of the year. How about you?

I'm a Gleek and proud of it

I am now a Gleek.

I just caught up on Season 1 and am now officially ready for the premiere of Season 2, which airs next Tuesday.

I kept hearing the music and ended up buying a CD before ever watching the show (I have this thing for show tunes). I ended up liking it so much that I had to watch an episode. Within minutes, I was hooked.

It might be a little late, but that's okay. If there's one thing I've learned from Glee, it's that it's okay not to be part of the "in crowd." What's important is that I'm owning my inner diva-ness and singing with the rest of the Gleeks from now on.

If you're not a member, I would highly recommend checking it out. For me, the show has taken me back to my "I wanna be an actress" days and gets me up and moving. I can barely sit still and find myself singing and dancing -- Glee-style. And although they're not watching the show, Miss Independent and Little Miss have been enjoying a few of the tunes too. Our favorite right now is Don't Stop Believin' (by Journey). Good times!

Eclipse DVD coming in December!

I'm definitely feeling better today!

I just heard that the release date for Eclipse (on DVD) is December 4, 2010.

More information is available on Amazon.

Looks like I need to set up a viewing party!

Looking for the albino squirrel

I'm having one of those days. The kind of day where everything goes wrong -- from the minute you get out of bed, until the minute you fall asleep that night.

I hate those days.

I suppose I could take the high road and say that I'll learn something from this day.

I could remind myself that it's all worth it -- even if I can't see the reasons clearly right now.

I could think of all the things I'm grateful for, or throw myself into some act of service...

However, the only thing me and my bad attitude want to do is go back to bed and start over again. Unfortunately, life doesn't have a rewind button. Plus, it's almost 8:30 p.m.

But here's a happy thought...life does have a "do-over" button (assuming I live to see tomorrow). Each new day brings an opportunity for better things -- including better attitudes and a chance to find an albino squirrel.

Yup, you read that right -- a chance to find an albino squirrel.

Apparently there's one running around the neighborhood and my friend Amanda says if you see him, he'll bring you good luck. So I'm going to call it a day, get some rest, and then start my hunt tomorrow. Even if I don't find the albino squirrel, I bet I'll definitely find a better attitude!

Stay tuned...

Pre-school Days Photo Book

I thought I'd test out the "Share Project" feature on Shutterfly, which allows you to share projects you create with people who don't have accounts with their Web site.

I recently created this photo book to highlight the girl's two years of Pre-school. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Click here to view this photo book larger.

Hello, Kindergarten!

Little Miss and Miss Independent
September 7, 2010

WE DID IT!

And by WE, I mean...

ME -- I DID IT!

I was able to send them off -- on time and everything.

The girls did great. They were soooo excited to get on the bus. Of course my camera battery died after two pictures (apparently I'd left it on by accident the night before), so all of my pictures came via the iPhone and some really nice neighbors.

Stinger Bee Breakfast

But despite all of that, the day was great. We started with a "Stinger Bee Breakfast" (in honor of the school mascot). I made scrambled eggs, bacon and toast and shaped everything on the plate. Although I thought it looked like a bee, the kids thought it looked more like a bat. Here's a picture so you can decide.

The table was decorated with yellow and black accents. At each place setting was a new book, some flash cards and a really cool Tervis Tumbler with a bee on it. This breakfast idea will hopefully become a tradition that we do each year on the first day of school.

So after a few pictures, we walked to the bus stop. There were tons of parents and kids waiting with anticipation. There were at least six other Kindergartner's, so the girls made some immediate friends.

When the bus arrived, both girls ran to get in line. They totally forgot about mommy and daddy and didn't even look back for a picture. I managed to capture them getting to the door, but that was it. And since they are riding a newer style bus with tinted windows, I couldn't see which seat they were in. So, I ended up blowing kisses to every kid on the bus. :)

As far as crying goes, I managed to hold it together until the bus pulled away. The walk home was hard but I made it. Overall, I think I did pretty good -- all things considering (no sleep the night before, constant anxiety, etc.). I concentrated on work until it was time to go back to the bus stop to pick them up. It was so fun when they arrived. They had a ton of stories to share and said they were excited to go back.

In a nutshell -- this worrisome mom couldn't be happier with how the day turned out. And, hopefully, from here on out, I'll be much less worrisome (yeah, right).

Thanks to everyone who called to check on me throughout the first day. Your comforting words meant so much to me.

Here's to a great school year!

Just keep swimming...

In less than ten hours my babies will be heading off to Kindergarten.

My pulse is racing and I have hundreds of thoughts in my head.

What if we don't get up in time?

What if they refuse to get on the bus?

What if I refuse to let them get on the bus?

What if they have a terrible day?

AAAGGGHHH!

Okay, deep breath. I know I will survive. I'm not the first person to go through this. There are TONS of teachers and volunteers just waiting to help make their day great.

I can do this. I can do this. I WILL do this.

Wish me luck.

I'll be up at the crack of dawn making a "First Day of School" breakfast for the monkeys, then it's off to get them ready, take pictures, put them on the bus, etc.

Stay tuned for a report on how it all goes. Assuming I survive the day...

I feel like Nemo's dad did (in Finding Nemo) on Nemo's first day of school. He was totally paranoid about every little thing and Nemo ended up getting sucked into the fisherman's net.

I guess my mantra should be, "Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming." like Dory suggests and all will go well.

Dear Kindergarten:

Since we're meeting each other for the first time, I thought it would be fair to warn you that I'm going to be one of THOSE parents.


You know...



The kind of parent who:

• Cries the first time they open the school doors.
• Cries when walking down the hall to her child's classroom.
• Cries when filling out paperwork.
• Cries when talking to the office staff/teacher/principal for the first time.
• Cries while taking a gazillion pictures of her babies.

You know...


The kind of parent who:

• Does all of this at Kindergarten Orientation -- BEFORE school even starts!

Yup. That's ME. I'm one of those parents!

However, in fairness, there's a reason I'm THAT kind of parent.

I am the parent of twins.

Let me rephrase.

I am the parent of ONLY twins!

I am going through this process for the first AND last time -- AT THE SAME TIME! My emotional state is working double duty because I'm sending my first and last babies out into the world -- at the very same time -- and it's killing me.

Yes, I know I didn't warn you that I would cry like a baby today. In all honesty, I didn't know I would. And, yes, I will probably do the same thing next week when school starts...

BUT, please don't judge me on these days alone.

Just bear with me and understand that while I've had years to prepare myself, the time has gone by too quickly and I'm still not ready to let my children go. Not just yet.

Surely I'm not alone in feeling this way, Kindergarten, so I'd appreciate you empathizing with me and all of the other parents going through similar situations.

In closing, I appreciate your patience -- in advance -- for I have no idea how I will act or react during our one-time-only, year-long relationship. With that said, I say "let the madness... I mean, wonderful memory-making begin!"

Sincerely yours,
THAT Parent (at least for now)