Driving us to Drink

Yep the weather has got us down.  There is more snow on the way, but we are finding ways to get through it. Not by getting the Wee one sauced up on Spaten though. Just thought it was a funny picture. She was actually trying to copy her Dad and his bottle “tooting” skills.

Anyway there are no signs of Spring up here in Timbucktoo… yet… We are managing thanks to good neighbors with plow trucks and a road crew with lots of sand. The wee one and I have ventured out for some shopping and library visits.

I set up an Art Station to help bust up the Wee Ones boredom. This morning we painted with water. We also invested in a new box of Twistable Crayons. A great solution to our crayon eating problem. We also love to play with sticky notes and tape. Yes the bottle goes everywhere with us she is addicted and I’ve found it’s not the contents because I’ve watered everything down and it doesn’t phase her at all. So any suggestions on how to overcome bottle security issues?

We also have a new member of the Marcoccia household. Meet Dorothy the fish. Gary picked her up while we were in Germany. Do you think he was lonely? Poor guy. She seems to be happy here with lots of light and plenty of things in her water to play with like plant dirt, feathers, pretty much what ever is on the floor. Hopefully she can survive Ellie’s little fish experiments and live a long happy fishy life.

One last thing. I found a new Soup Recipe. I’m not really a soup person but this one is yummy. I think it has a lot to do with the bacon. It got us through the first few storm days…

Bean and Bacon Soup

8 oz Cannellini Beans

3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 onion chopped

3-4 carrots chopped

2-3 Celery Stalks chopped

1 Tbsp Fresh Rosemary

4 strips of Bacon

2 Garlic cloves crushed

1 can diced tomatoes

4 cups chicken/veg stock

4 cups water

2 tbsp fresh parsley

Heat oil in sauce pan over med heat.

Cook onion, celery, carrot, bacon, herbs, and garlic about 5 min

add beans, tomatoes, chicken/veg stock, water bring to a boil

Simmer gently for 20 minutes over medium Season and serve with parsley

enjoy…

Everything’s Amazing, but Nobody is Happy

I found this youtube clip on the Soulemama list of inspirations and I had to post it. It made me laugh out loud. Especially considering the grueling trip home my Mother and I had. United shut the doors on us right as we made it to the gate at the Denver airport. It was one of those slow motion NNNOOOO kind of affairs. After run/walking as fast as we could with bad knees, car seat, baby, and and heavy bags. My Mom admitted to me once we were settled down that she was getting dizzy and seeing stars as we ran the length of the Denver airport. Needless to say we missed it and were delayed another 3 hours. Thus getting home at about 1 am. Anyway, I laughed at what this guy had to say about flying. He put the whole experience in a new perspective. We flew across the whole USA, the Atlantic Ocean, most of Europe!!!! We were Flying! and we got to see my sister and her girls who live in a whole different time zone all most a day ahead of us. It is amazing and I’m pretty happy about it.

I’m having trouble embedding this so here is the link instead enjoy…

Everything’s Amazing, but Nobody is Happy (youtube)

Deutschland and the Frandsens

We had an excellent visit with the Frandsen girls in Germany. We started out nice and easy and ended running our tails off. The first few days were spent adjusting to the time change and just hanging with Leslie and her girls enjoying movies, spa nights, and home cooked meals.

First up, Leslie and I took a German Baking class offered through the air force base near by. It was a lot of fun seeing all their excellent and efficient tools like the torte ring, cake cutter, and cake lifter. Not to mention the delicious desserts Mandarin Orange Cake, Poppy Seed Almond Roll, and Berliners.

Next, we had a few days of shopping we bought some shoes, some chocolate, and Easter decor. They had the cutest Easter/Ouster decorations. My Mom and I had a lot of fun gazing at all the chocolate Easter Bunnies, eggs, and wee trinkets.We also went swimming. The base nearby has an excellent facility. Both McKenna and Ellie surprised us with their bravery. McKenna turned a new leaf that day and began to get her face wet and dunk herself all the way under. While Ellie couldn’t get enough of the little slide she was so excited she would clench her teeth and shake her fists.

[flickrvideo]http://www.flickr.com/photos/17005385@N04/3375410239/[/flickrvideo]

Then our big adventure and truly the the highlight of the trip was a weekend spent in the town of Rothenburg.  Rothenburg is a Medieval city with a wall dating back to the 1400’s that surrounds the old town square. It was a beautiful city with so much preserved we were very impressed. We took a Night Watchmen tour there as well and learned some more interesting facts about living in that time and the crazy history of Rothenburg. The next day we visited a Toy Museum and the Christmas Museum where Leslie and I picked up the classic German Christmas candle light windmills.

The next town we visited is Strausburg, France. A town just across the boarder of France that has a good mix of German and French culture. First we hit the Cathedral. It was mind blowing with all the detail both inside and out. Some of the stained glass was dated back to the 1300’s and it was one of the tallest of the Cathedrals built in this era. Strausburg has a historical section of the city called “La Petite France” where we found classic half timbered architecture and a classic European feeling with quaint narrow streets and shops.

We enjoyed a boat tour through the cities canals as well and finished the day off with crepes.

Finally we spent one day enjoying the walkplatz in Kaiserslautern the main town near my sister. They had a farmers market that morning which is always a good thing to check out anywhere you go… The day ended with some sunshine to enjoy once we got home.

So overall it was a fantastic trip. Leslie and her girls were awesome hosts and we really enjoyed the time spent with them I loved watching Ellie play and get to know her cousins they are very special girls. I hope that we helped bring a bit of joy and distraction to them as they pass the time while their Dad is out working so hard. Thank you Leslie, Mark, Bailey, and McKenna! We love you and already miss you so much.

We Made It

Ellie, Grandma McKenney, and I are here! In Germany that is, visiting my sweet sister and her daughters while her husband is away for a time. Our flight was long of course we went from SLC to San Fran then on to Frankfurt. San Fransisco to Frankfurt was 10 hours!! Ughhh, We did good though and I am proud to say that we didn’t even have to pull out the DVD/Elmo TV for Ellie. She did relatively well the entire time. She was a little distracted by the movie playing on the plane, but she read books, played with a new toy from Grandma, colored a little bit, and played musical laps between me and my Mom. We did loose our luggage for a time but it was delivered all in one piece this morning. I was so happy to see my toothbrush as was everyone else I’m sure.

It has been so great to see my sister and her girls again. Bailey and McKenna have grown some since we saw them 6 months ago. Ellie took to them right away following them around watching them dance and sing.  She also warmed up to Leslie quickly too. When she was startled last night by loud music she ran into the other room straight into Leslie’s arms. I was there on her tail calling her name but she had her sights set on Leslie. Ellie is also getting used to the idea of sharing her Grandma. Last night Baliey, McKenna, and Grandma were all cuddled up together on the couch and Ellie kept checking them out. I speculate that she was just wondering how to get in on the snuggles.

We have some fun stuff planned this week shopping, more shopping, and then a little more shopping. Just kidding Dad, Mark, and Gary. Your bank accounts will be fine. We will keep it in check. (Wink Wink) We are just glad to be together. Hopefully our little visit will help Leslie, Bailey, and McKenna through the difficulties of missing their husband, father, and best friend.

Inspirations

Did you notice the new Link Category over there in the side bar called Inspirations? It is an ever changing list of 6 random things I come across on the wonderful world wide web that inspire me, make me think, lighten my mood, and just plain old impress me. So to make my blog a little more interesting have a looks see at what I like.

Right now I’m head over heels for all 6 of the little links in there. Excuse me while I ramble a bit…

Wash Your Hands – It is hilarious come on admit it. Those little hands all served up on a plate has gotta make you smile and tickle your funny bone just a wee bit. This sort of creative little project is what makes me love Etsy.

Hello, little miracle – nothing like feasting your eyes on perfect little snowflake. Ahhh

Water – Gary and I know Lee from the Altafarian world. In fact Gary has been doing work on his website for him. He is well known for his ski photography and is extremely talented. This is my all time favorite Lee Cohen ski photo.  He captured a beautiful wave that is breathtaking. I love the greens and blues of the ocean.

Love Birds – I have a sweet spot for little handmade birds. Cute. Their eyes are smiling. Do you see that?

Winter – Some words to help you get through the remainder of the season.

Art – This one is my current favorite. There is so much I could say about it. The playfulness, the message, it’s brilliant. Just watch it.

Enjoy