Seriously, it’s only Tuesday?

Wicked, major, unbelievable insomnia.

Vertigo so bad that other people can see my eyes spinning.

No sleep + vertigo = doozy of a headache.

No sleep * (vertigo + headache) = topsy turvy stomach, nothing staying in.

If that isn’t enough, one of our three A/C systems is still down during this, our first heat wave of the year…thank you very much.

Phone/internet issues & problems and customer NO service working at the peak of their game.

Maisie…Best thing EVER!

Off to crawl into bed to snuggle & cuddle with my best girl and hope for sleep.  Maybe waking up to a new month will bring good change.

Who is this blogger and what did she do with that blog slacker?

As of today I have now posted sixty days in a row, what’s going on with that???  I guess that M3’s Spring Fling 30 posts in 30 days was the kick in the @ss I mean motivation that I needed to jump start my blogging again.  I have actually enjoyed finding something to blog about each day and I know that looking back it will be very interesting for Maisie and I to see all the things that were going on.  As I said last month, I’m not sure how long this daily blogging will continue but for right now, I’m trying my best to post daily.

When I was doing the 30 posts in 30 days I had asked for suggestions and ideas for blog posts and most of the suggestions/requests were for more recipes.  So starting today I’m going to try and post at least one recipe per week.  It’s funny because even though the weather has been heating up, I have been in a cooking mood so it works out well for getting more recipes posted.

First before the cooking talk, a little thing that Maisie said to me this morning that just struck me funny.  She asked me “Mama do you think my bum bum has grown enough to wear Hello Kitty?”  It took me a minute to figure out what she was talking about and then I realized that she was asking if the Hello Kitty panties, which I bought for her way back when she first toilet trained in June 2008, would fit her.  The panties are size 2T/3T but they ran big so I tucked them away in the back of her panties drawer and there they’ve sat…For three years!  Back in 2008 I found some 2T/3T Sesame Street and Disney Princess & Fairy panties which ran quite a bit smaller than the Hello Kitty panties so she wore those and amazingly, she’s been wearing those original panties ever since!  I told her to give the Hello Kitty panties a try and they *almost* fit her as they’re in her words, “a little baggy in the bum.”  Guess her bum bum hasn’t grown all that much but it is the cutest little bum bum I’ve ever seen.

Now on to food!

This past week I made a new recipe, Stir-Fried Asparagus with Water Chestnuts, Ginger and Cashews.  I absolutely adore asparagus and right now they’re in season, easy to find and cheap!!  I especially love the super thin and tender asparagus and earlier this week I was at the market and 2 pounds for $3.00, thank you very much!  I had planned on doing my usual, tossing them on the grill and then just feasting on the slightly charred spears for a couple of days but while perusing some cooking blogs I happened upon a stir fry recipe that struck my fancy and sent me in a different, yet fabulously delicious direction.  So if you love asparagus, or stir fry, or vegetables (as this would totally rock with long or string beans or even broccoli come to think of it) head on over to Cook Lisa Cook and check out my recipe for Stir-Fried Asparagus with Water Chestnuts, Ginger and Cashews.

Enjoy!

Sunday at the pool

Not the best iPhone piccie but a great day playing at the pool.  A, K & Maisie enjoying a nice hot Sunday at the pool. 

Tipa’s Tacky Tat

When Maisie plays she often calls herself Tipa.  I don’t know where that name came from but that’s her play name.  Today we went out for breakfast and then I had to quickly pick up a few items at the grocery but since I wanted to get in and out very quickly I handed Eammon and Maisie a few dollars and sent them to the dollar store which was in the same plaza.  At the store Maisie picked out a water squirter like the one she used at Lisa & Briana’s house, pink sunglasses and play money. 

Once home Maisie decided that she was going to set up her own store and named it Tipa’s Tacky Tat and what an appropriate name for all the “treasures” she chose to sell.

Drawing us into her store with her staged beautiful smile and hiding her eyes knowing the prices she planned on charging.

Maisie, I mean Tipa explaining why in her store a doll house bath towel costs more than a shower stall.  Honestly though, the best buy in Tipa’s store were her kisses…but isn’t that always the way.

Stuck at home feasting

Yesterday Maisie and I spent the entire day confined at home as we had HVAC contractors in and out giving us estimates on replacing one, if not all three of our HVAC systems…OY!!!  Thankfully though we were able to enjoy a really nice lunch together.  Wednesday morning Maisie and I had visited the Dekalb Farmers Market where in addition to Maisie’s wonderfully fresh corn we also picked up some gorgeous whole shrimp as well as some fabulously priced mango pulp so those ingredients determined our lunch.

Maisie and I feasted on whole steamed shrimp which we dipped in way too much butter but oh were they delicious.  Maisie also ate another ear of corn and we both sipped on mango lassi.  A great lunch and of course being with my best girl made being stuck at home, dealing with salesmen/contractors all day long, a lot easier. 

I have added my mango lassi recipe to Cook Lisa Cook and here is the direct link:  Mango lassi, so go check it out and enjoy one on a hot summer day!

Summer bridge

I’ve mentioned many times before that Maisie adores school workbooks so to keep her engaged this summer I purchased the 1st to 2nd grade Summer Bridge Activities book.  The book isn’t difficult as it’s really just a review of the things she learned during first grade so for the most part she finds it fun but sometimes she finds it, in her words “baby easy” and says that it’s a bit boring. 

Summer bridge books are meant to carry a child thorough a traditional three month summer break so it’s divided into three one-month sections with two activity pages for each day (I guess they only plan on weekday work as there are only 20 days of work per month.) 

The book covers reading, writing, math, science & social studies and it’s a mixture of the subjects each day to try and help keep things interesting.

After testing, Maisie has been out of school eight week days (or ten total) and she has currently completed up through day 12 in her book … but not day twelve of the first month’s section mind you, she’s up to day 12 of the second month’s section.  At this rate she’ll complete the entire book by the end of this month and we still have all of June, July and half of August to go before she returns to school.  I’m considering getting her the 2nd to 3rd grade Summer Bridge Activities book as it will provide more of a challenge and may last her through the remainder of the summer…maybe…  

Loving that fresh corn on the cob

Maisie absolutely adores corn on the cob.  She’ll eat corn that is already off the cob but she never enjoys it quite as much as when she has the real deal.  This morning we visited the Farmer’s market and they had gorgeous, super sweet white corn so we picked up a few ears and I prepared it her favorite way, grilled and lightly charred then rubbed with just a little sweet butter and a sprinkle of sea salt. 

Maisie was quite hungry after gymnastics and went into a bit of a corn feeding frenzy.  Over the course of the day Maisie had eaten a well balanced diet and at gymnastics she ate a good protein packed snack so as a treat, as this was her first corn on the cob of the season, I allowed her to have a dinner of only corn. 

To say that Maisie enjoyed her corn is probably an understatement and it wasn’t until after feasting on four ears that she said her tummy was full.  I’m not sure how she managed four ears but good for her and I’m glad she enjoyed it so very much. 

How long can we play?

We didn’t break our 10.5 hour long play date record but playing together today for 8.5 hours wasn’t too shabby.  Yes these girls love to play together and not one single trauma, drama or disagreement.

When we first arrived at Lisa & Briana’s home the little girls immediately disappeared up to Bri’s playroom and it wasn’t until they got hungry for a snack that we saw or heard from them…Gotta love that playroom!

After a snack and a little more playtime we all sat down for a nice little lunch courtesy of Lisa and then the little girls played down near us for a while.

There was a lot of cuteness

and game playing.

Then since it was a gorgeous day outside Lisa asked the girls if they wanted to play in the sprinklers and both girls immediately jumped up to get changed into their swimwear.

Lisa gave each of the girls a squirt tube.

Friends so cute together.  (photo by Lisa F.)

Maisie loved the squirt tube and I know what we’ll be purchasing later this week.

Running through the sprinklers was great fun too.

Out came some noodles.

Followed by umbrellas.

Then a change of umbrellas.

With the umbrellas we couldn’t tell if the girls were trying to get wet or stay dry.  It didn’t matter because they just had so much fun.

Two little cuties. 

Of course no day is complete for Maisie unless it includes a little bit of gymnastics.  (photo by Lisa F.)

After a very busy day of play everyone was tired but hungry so we headed out for dinner at Pacific Spice.  Maisie gobbled down a full, large serving of seaweed salad and the “I don’t eat things that are green” Briana even dared a taste!!  Our dinner held quite the variety, the girls shared Chinese pan-fried dumplings and chicken lo-mein, Lisa enjoyed sushi and I had Thai massaman curry, all delicious.

It was a super fun day and though Maisie struggled to stay awake during the drive home, she did and now I’m hoping for a good night’s rest…for both of us.  Thank you Lisa & Briana for having us over to play and for lunch and we look forward to our next time together…which isn’t too far off!! 

Birthday party fun

Sunday afternoon we went to the gym where Maisie celebrated her gymnastics teammate Alyssa’s birthday.

The children started with stretches and then did a fun little obstacle course.  Here they were asked to do a little straddle jump and Maisie really caught some air.

The thing that Maisie most adores about attending birthday parties at the gym is that she gets to use the rings.  That huge smile says it all.

At the end of gym time all the children gathered in the foam pit for a group picture.  Trying to get a picture was somewhat like trying to heard cats.

The participants each received a medal.

Then it was cake and ice cream time.  Maisie had fun and enjoyed the sugar high.  Thanks Alyssa for the invitation to a great party and Happy Birthday!

Open for the season

Much to Maisie’s delight our pool is now open for the season.  Yesterday after planting the garden and going out for brunch at our now favorite dim sum place, Maisie wanted to go to the pool.  Eammon took her up there and I joined them about an hour later.  I sat for a bit on the edge of the pool and only barely managed to dip my toes as I thought that the water was freezing cold.  Maisie and the few other children who were there didn’t seem too bothered by the cold water and Maisie spent almost two hours swimming around.  She would get out occasionally to sit on the pool deck to soak in some of that warmth but those times were rare.

I only had my cell phone with me so just these three little wonky colored pictures of my bathing beauty in one of her new swim suits.

I recently bought Maisie three new adorable swim suits, all from Old Navy.

It’s a bit difficult to see but the one she’s wearing is a one-piece version of the one shouldered ruffled one above.  She and I both prefer the tankinis because they’re easier to deal with when in the rest room but for her swimming lessons she does better with a one piece so that’s why we have one of those in the mix.  They’re all adorable and on sale so go snag some cute bathing suits for your little bathing beauty!

Getting the garden planted

This morning the phone rang at 6:57 and it was Steve asking if I was ready to go and purchase some plants.  Considering that it was sometime after 2am by the time I finally got into bed and asleep I was doing good just to be answering the phone.

I was quick though and at 7:15 we were on our way to the nursery and by 8:15 we were home with the truck unloaded with the children helping to even out the mulch.

Back at the beginning of April we had one giant pile of mulch in the middle of the garden.But over the past month Steve, Eammon and even the kids all helped to move the mulch to all the various beds in both yards.

After last years harvest I saved and dried seeds from some of our fruits and veggies and those seeds, Steve and I started this year back the beginning of April.  We just never got around to ordering seeds for the items which we either hadn’t saved seeds for or wanted to add so that’s what we ended up purchasing today.  After seeing the cost difference though we’ll probably be better about saving our seeds for next year or have our act together better and order seed at the appropriate time.

The children, Anne, Steve and I all pitched in to get all the plants in the ground.  It feels like we’re a lot later in getting the plants in the ground this year but I looked back through the blog to see if I mentioned when we planted last year and between our Disney cruise and me being sick I went from blogging about starting our seeds on April 2 to when we had our first official harvest on June 6 without mentioning the garden in-between.

I’m hoping that we have another bountiful harvest this year as we really enjoyed all the fresh fruit, veggies and herb last year.

Ouch!!!!!

Not that I can do a split at all…but Maisie finds them soooooo easy.

But to then put one foot up a few inches (4-inches for the mattress) making your legs split beyond 180 degrees…well that just hurts me to see it.

And to push herself even further (11.5-inches to the top the beam) and to smile while doing it…Oh my!!

Fridays are conditioning days for Maisie at the gym, three hours of stretching, exercising, drills and endless minutes of oversplits.  Maisie finds all the conditioning fun and because she gets to work with the older girls, Fridays are Maisie’s favorite day at the gym.

Looking at todays pictures brought back memories of Maisie and her PJ’s so here’s a little walk down memory lane.My sweet girl back in February 2009 when she was obsessed with her Little Einstein PJ’s, so much so that I had to go and purchase a second pair as they were the only PJ’s that she wanted to wear.  She’s far outgrown her love of the Little Einsteins but she hasn’t yet outgrown the PJ’s.  Considering that they were on the sale clearance rack when I purchased them, I certainly got my moneys worth.

Eammon’s request Pannukakku

Recently Eammon told me that he was craving one of those puffy, sweet, lemon things with the sugar on top that I make in the oven.  Well luckily for him and his cravings I understood that he wanted a Finnish oven pancake (Pannukakku.)

This oven pancake is super simple to make as there aren’t any exotic ingredients or special cookware need, it’s a blender and a baking pan and you have yourself a super yummy, little bit sweet, the kids will love it, totally delicious meal.  Sometimes we’ll eat this for breakfast on the weekend or like the other night, we enjoyed it for dinner.  We like it very simple with just a squeeze of lemon juice and a dusting of confectioners sugar but you could easily add fruit on top or on the side, maybe a drizzle of jam, some cinnamon and sugar or even a dollop of whipped cream.  Anything that you’d put on regular pancakes or waffles would work, it’s up to you, your taste, imagination and creativity. 

When the pancake first comes out of the oven it is impressive, huge and puffy but within seconds it starts to deflate.  I could barely get this picture and even here it had already deflated quite a bit. 

I have posted the recipe over on Cook Lisa Cook so click on over and check it out and after you make it and impress your family, let me know what you think of the puffy pancake with the funny name…Pannukakku.  Here is the direct link to the recipe:  Pannukakku ~ Finnish oven pancake.

Gymnastics banquet

Who da’thunk that a five year old would have two banquets within three days but that’s just what my little social butterfly had.  Last night was Maisie’s end of year gymnastics team banquet where all the athletes who were on a competitive team last year, along with their families, gathered for a look back and to honor all the great work, effort and achievements that they all put forward and accomplished throughout the year.  Also honored were the coaches, volunteers and parents and then there was a sad and tearful farewell to the graduating Seniors. 

My beautiful and oh-so-grown up little girl.  Maisie chose which of her many dressy-dresses she wanted to wear along with the jewelry and shoes.  My part in the outfit was that I required her to wear the sweater as we’ve been having some unseasonably cold temps and her dress doesn’t have any sleeves.   

Maisie and teammates Aspen and Mara.

I love this picture of the girls as they have such personality, they love one another and they adore being teammates.  Missing from the picture is Tia and on the drive home Maisie talked about how sad it was that Tia missed the evening and how she wished that she could have been there for all the fun.  I’m so glad that all these girls moved up to USA level 3 together and will have another season together.   (L to R:  Caroline, Savannah, Mara, Maisie, Taylor & Aspen.)

The athletes sat at tables with their teammates…not with Mama, she’s getting so grown up…whimper, cry.

Last seasons USA Level 2 team being honored.  This was a very young team with the girls being between 4 and 7 years old and they competed and did oh-so-well against teams that were 6 to 9 years old.

Me with my beautiful chocolate mousse faced girl.

My tired chocolate lipped girl with her lip balm and trophy.

It was a fun evening and through all the presentations, speeches, slide shows, picture taking and dinner, Maisie, her teammates and all the athletes were attentive, polite and very mature.  We didn’t arrive home until minutes before 10PM so it was a quick change and into bed for my little, tired, beautiful, princess, banquet loving athlete.