Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Happy 5th Birthday Nano

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Nano as a baby.
 
 
My favorite photo of Nano
 
 
Nano celebrating today with an ice cream.
 
 
Happy Birthday to our little baby...
Mommy & Daddy love you very much!!
 

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Thursday, March 21, 2013

Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding Recipe

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Earlier today I posted a photo on FB of this bread pudding I made especially for Bill (yes, I like it, too). It is chocolate chip bread pudding, that tastes absolutely delicious.

I got a couple of requests for the recipe, so I decided to post it here for all of you.....


1  French loaf - 2 days old
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter - melted

Custard:
3  cups buttermilk (or half-and-half)
4  large eggs
1/2  cup granulated sugar
1  tsp. vanilla extract (or Buttery Sweet Dough Flavor*)
1/2  tsp. Espresso Powder*
1  cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet or dark chocolate)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Slice bread into 3/4" slices, brush melted butter on both sides of bread (I use a jelly roll pan)

2. To make custard, beat together buttermilk, eggs, sugar, flavoring, and espresso powder at medium speed until well blended.

3. Pour some custard into an UNgreased 2-quart baking dish (enough to cover bottom about 1/2 inch). Sprinkle some chips over custard. Arrange bread slices in dish all around bottom, overlapping as necessary. Pour remaining custard over bread; sprinkle the rest of the chocolate chips over mixture. Push down bread carefully so that all of it is soaked in custard.

4. Bake bread pudding until golden on top, 50 - 60 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool. Dust with confectioners sugar, if desired.
*These items may be purchase from King Arthur Flour Company


I have also made this with blueberries instead of chocolate chips when in season. Just leave out espresso powder; use vanilla and not Buttery Sweet Dough Flavor.

If you decide to make this, please let me know and post a photo on my FB page or leave a link in the comments here.

Hope you enjoy it.... HUGGLES!

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Sunday, March 17, 2013

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Wishing all of you a very happy St. Patrick's day!

Hope you have fun with those you love and who love you... and remember, be safe!

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Friday, March 15, 2013

Our 16th Wedding Anniversary

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Like you're surprised I had Mickey Mouse Invitations.
 
Sixteen years ago today, I married my best friend, the love of my life, the most wonderful man in the world, and each and every day since then I have grown to love him more and more. 
 
 
My beautiful boys gave me away. (L: Nik; R: Alex)
 
 
Bill has been there for me and the boys since the first day we met, to love and care for us and to always make us laugh. Even our wedding was filled with love and laughter.
 
I'm sure you can't see it, but my boxer shorts match Bill's tie.
They are both St. Patrick's Day Mickey Mouse.
 
 
I am the luckiest woman in the world to have Bill in my life. We have had some tough times during our marriage, but through it all we have stuck together and grown closer. Since he is retired and I am disabled, we spend almost all of our time together. When he is upstairs on his computer and I am downstairs on my laptop, we send each other IM love notes - he is so sweet!
 
Bill, I love you more today than I did the day I met you in 1995 and more than the day we married in 1997. Every day I love you more and more... I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you.
 
 
 
HAPPY 16th ANNIVERSARY!!!!!
 
 
 
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Thursday, March 14, 2013

Happy Pi Day

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Photo Credit
 
 
 
Happy Pi Day - 3/14 is officially Pi day.
 
Photo Credit
PI = 3.14159265(to infinity)
 
 
Now, I was pretty good in math in high school and in college, but the only thing I remember about Pi is that the circumference of a circle is 2πr. That's really not gonna get me anywhere in Mathematical circles, so I think I'll just stick to this kind of "pie."
 
 

 
 
 
Happy Pi/Pie day whichever way you decide to celebrate!  HUGGLES!!
 
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Sunday, March 10, 2013

What Love Means......


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A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does love mean?'

The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined See what you think:



'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore...
So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.'
Rebecca- age 8


'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.'
Billy - age 4


'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.'
Karl - age 5


'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making
them give you any of theirs.'
Chrissy - age 6


'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.'
Terri - age 4


'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him,
to make sure the taste is OK.'
Danny - age 7


'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss'
Emily - age 8


'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.'
Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)


'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate.'
Nikka - age 6




'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.'
Noelle - age 7


'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.'
Tommy - age 6  (This one is my favorite)


'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me

and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.'
Cindy - age 8


'My mommy loves me more than anybody, you don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.'
Clare - age 6


'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.'
Elaine-age 5


'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.'
Chris - age 7


'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.'
Mary Ann - age 4


'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.'
Lauren - age 4 (If she only knew.)


'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.'
Karen - age 7


'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.' (This is too funny!)
Mark - age 6


'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.'
Jessica - age 8



 
And the finally.....

The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor, an elderly gentleman who had
recently lost his wife.

Upon seeing the man cry , the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap,
and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, 'Nothing, I just helped him cry.'
 
Children have a very unique perspective on things that we should embrace.
 
What does love mean to you?
 
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Friday, March 8, 2013

Happy Birthday to the Most Wonderful Man in the World




Today is my fabulous husband Bill's birthday... He is the most wonderful man I have ever met. He make me smile every single day and fills my heart with joy and love. Bill is a fantastic husband and a wonderful father, I am so happy that he is in my life and wish for many, many more years of happy birthdays for Bill and I to share together.
























Happy birthday, my darling... I love you with all my heart and soul and cannot wait to spend the next 100 birthdays with you!!!



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