Deliciousness With A Three Year Old

Little hands, helping me pour flour into the mixing bowl. A little voice asking 17 times if he can stir next. Cracking eggs into the bowl, and me fishing out all the tiny pieces of shell he gets in the dough. A scoop of raisins and a handful of pecans. All the perfect ingredients to make the best oatmeal cookies...ever.
My little Benji loves cookies. "Tookies", as he calls them, and begs me to make them almost everyday. He usually wants to "holp", too. Many times I sigh with impatience and just want to whip them up and get the mess cleaned up. But this time, I remembered my wish to spend some time with these little ones. So, we washed his hands, and pulled a chair up, close to the counter. He helped me measure and pour. He scooped oatmeal, dumping more on the counter than in the bowl. He packed brown sugar, and then licked his hand, compelling me to wash them once more. He cracked eggs all over the counter, and got shells in the dough. He smelled the vanilla, getting some on his nose. He ate as many raisins as we put in, and then, he leaned over to me, kissed me on the shoulder and said "Mama, you are the sweet cooker lady." And I melted into the floor and vowed to make cookies with him everyday until I died.

Here is a recipe for the Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Ever, minus the Benjamin germs:

3 Eggs - beaten                     1 tsp. salt
1 Cup raisins                         1 tsp. cinnamon
1 Cup craisins                       2 tsp. baking soda
1 Cup chopped dates            1 tsp. orange zest (super important!)
1 Cup butter                         1 Tbls. good vanilla
1 Cup brown sugar
1 Cup chopped pecans
1 Cup sugar
2 1/2 Cups flour
2 Cups rolled oats

As usual, mix all your wet ingredients, and then all your dry, and add to the wet. Add the fruits and nuts at the end. Scoop into large 1 Tablespoon scoops, Bake @ 350degrees for 10-12 minutes. You won't be sorry. You will wonder where these cookies have been all your life.
Of course, feel free to switch up the pecans for walnuts and leave out the craisins or dates or both, but don't - really! The craisins give a little tartness, and the dates just give a nice sweet chewiness.  I have also done just craisins and white chocolate chips in this cookie - yummy!
These cookies are lovely - my grandmother, who is an oatmeal raisin cookie connoisseur, loved them!

Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies - as seen in the photo:(mine) and adapted from a recipe in  Inn Good Taste by George and Katie Hoy from the Inn at Brandywine Falls.
2 Cups butter                           5 Cups pulverized oatmeal (stick it in a food processor)
2 Cups sugar                            1 tsp. salt
2 Cups brown sugar                 2 tsp. baking soda
4 eggs                                      24 oz. chocolate chips
2 tsps. vanilla                            1 finely grated 7 oz. Hershey bar
2 cups flour                              3 Cups chopped walnuts ( I used pecans - walnuts=blech)
Instructions:
Cream together the butter and sugars, add in the rest of the wet. Mix the dry together in another bowl, and then slowly add to the wet, mixing as you go. Mix in nuts and chocolate. Shape dough into golf ball size, Squish slightly, place on cookie sheet and bake @350 for 8 minutes. Don't over bake!
I don't make them sooo big, I use a large scoop instead. And this is a HUGE recipe! If you normally double or triple, don't bother, you will have plenty!

Silly Benny

This little Benjamin (who graces the top of my blog as a newborn) doesn't ask for anything (yet), but a story read, or to bake some "tookies". He can be challenging, and even a little mean sometimes, but if you sit with him, cuddle him for a bit, he is just pure love. He still says things like "tootsie wootsies" but tells me he is not "wittle" he is big! His favorite game in the world, which we have been playing since he was just a tiny little guy, is the "sleeping game". He climbs up in my lap, and we both pretend to sleep, fake snoring away. One of us will yell "Wake Up!"and the other will pretend to be startled from sleep. Then we say "Oh, sorry! Go back to sleep!" and play it over and over again. This game is played everyday. It's the silliest thing, but he just loves it. I can't remember if I played it with other babies, or if it is just our special thing.

My Benjamin also loves to play "Benny Sandwich". Anytime he sees his daddy and me hugging, he comes up and tries to get between us. We pick him up, and squish him between us, both kissing his little cheeks. He loves being our Benny sandwich, but pretends to be very annoyed. It's not hard to spend time with this guy, and he's pretty easy on the eyes. But I need to remember that he needs these early experiences, too. Baking, going to the store, helping dad with little jobs. Just because we have done them with the older kids, doesn't mean we can forget them with these little guys. So, we bake, we play, and we even venture into stores, the library, the zoo, the park. Make a memory or two, and never pass up the opportunity to spend a little time.

Time Well Spent

I know, enough with the cliched titles already, right? I'm going to have to work on that. One of the goals I set when approaching 40, was to spend some time with each of my kids. I have had the opportunity lately, to get to spend some actual chunks of time with a few of them in the last couple of weeks.

My Jenna and I took off for the afternoon a week or so ago. We headed to Chipotle for lunch and then a little shopping. I asked my girl where she wanted to go for lunch, of course. Her response was "Taco Bell!". So, I thought I would do her one better, and take her to Chipotle, thinking she would just love it. It's kind of a cool place, you can choose what you get in your taco or burrito, and it has a pretty hip atmosphere. All of this was lost on Jenna. She was too cold, the stool was too high, the music was too loud, and the food was too spicy. So much for Chipotle. She did not have fun, and she didn't eat anything. This almost always happens with my Jenna, though. She's a bit hard to please, and if you don't do what she wants to do, even if you are trying to make it even better, she's not going to like it. You'd think I would have learned this lesson by now, but, sadly, I have not. I have repeated this mistake a few times with her. Part of me thinks she should just decide to have fun. The other part of me reminds myself that I brought her out to have a good time, and should have just gone where she wanted to go.

Well, we made up for lunch by shopping at Justice 4 Girls. This was a big sacrifice on my part. I HATE that store. It's filled with cheap, glittery, over priced crap. Jenna LOVES it! She likes to be very little girl trendy, and this store is right up her ally. I have gone in and let her get a few things twice, exactly. And we buy off the clearance rack. No way are you getting me to spend $16 on a tank top. Yes, I am that cheap. I have too many bodies to clothe to waste money in a trendy shop just because. But, she was able to find a few things she really wanted. Jenna was happy, we used her 40% off coupon, and she came away with sparkly shoes and a little hoodie thing, and something else with glittery stuff all over it. I am still trying to figure out who this kid is. She is truly interested in fashion, even did a research paper on some French fashion designer from the 1800s, and yet she chooses to shop in this Justice store. I love the little weirdo.

After Justice the real shopping started - Target! I love Target. I love the bright colors and the interesting stock. I love how cheap their cereal is and that I can buy gum and sneakers in the same store. I love that the Up&Up store brand is cheaper, but just as good as name brands. And I love that I never have to wait very long in line. One person in ahead, tops. Somehow, I manage so spend nearly $200 in there on a bi-weekly basis. Don't even ask me what I buy. I really have no idea. It just accumulates. I go in with a list, and come out with everything on the list, and about $75 worth of crap I didn't know  I desperately needed.  I love Target. My husband is somewhat less enthusiastic.

Kolbe and I were able to set off on a little adventure last week as well. He had to go take a standardized test for school, so we made an afternoon out of it. After his test, I asked him where he would like to go for lunch. This is my foodie child - so I thought he would pick someplace interesting, given that we live in an area that has more restaurants in 20 square miles than anywhere else in the country. Nope, my foodie child chose Wendy's. Yep. Not some cool new burger joint or the too expensive place we can't go when we have everyone with us. Nope, he picks our usual fast food of choice. Sometimes I forget he is only 8.

So, we sat in Wendy's and he had a kids meal, which I almost never let me kids order. With a frosty - he got the royal treatment, folks! One thing I love about this quiet, shy little boy, is that when he gets you all to himself he talks. And talks, and talks. So great! I finally get to know what is going on in his little brain. He tells me funny stories, and just cracks me up. Usually so serious, it was really fun to see him smile. He does tend to worry too much. He can't decide what to be when he grows up, and he lets it worry him. I keep telling him to just enjoy being a kid, but ever since he discovered that he is supposed to have a job when he grows up, it has been the main thing on his mind. As of this posting, he wants to be a priest, a restaurant owner, a dog trainer, and a paleontologist. I just want him to be a little boy.

After lunch we went to Kohl's to find a suit for his First Holy Communion. Happily, they were running a sale, and I had $30 in Kohl's cash. Nothing makes me happier than getting a good deal! He chose a dark grey suit and a shirt, tie and belt. Cash out of pocket for this $58.00. Mama was happy. Kolbe, who loves to dress up, was super happy. He can't wait to wear it!

Kohl's was followed by.... Target of course. My husband had called with a few items he needed, so we made our way across the parking. While we were in the store, I asked my Kolbe if he wanted to go look through the toy isle. He loves the Lego Hero Factory stuff, just like every other boy in a gazillion mile radius, it seems. I asked him which one he would like, and he responded with "I didn't bring my wallet, and I only have $3, anyways." I asked him again which one he wanted, and he was confused. My poor kid. We never, ever buy stuff just to buy it. He couldn't understand why I was asking, as he didn't have the money to buy it himself. Now, I don't want my kids spoiled, and I want them to appreciate what they have. That being said, I need to make a better effort to do small things, just every once in a while, just because of the joy it will bring my child. Especially a child like this who loves so much, worries so much, and thinks too much. Once he realized I wanted to buy it just to buy it, he was worried about the other kids. I told him to just enjoy it, and that they would get a turn sometime, too.

I love taking these moments with just one child. I like sitting across from them and learning a little bit I didn't know before. I like being able to listen with rapt attention to whatever they are saying. Half an hour. I need to to this more often, and get their dad doing it, too. You can learn a lot in an uninterrupted half hour.

I have one more story, but I'll save it for tomorrow, as this is already way too long. But, it involves deliciousness and an adorable three year old boy, so.... until tomorrow my friends, Awrevwar! Or in French, Au revoir!

Megan, Mom, Nain, SupaNain, Trouble....

Megans #1 & #3 - At 90, still beautiful.

I know I already posted today, but I did not want to let a whole lot of time pass before I was able to wax poetic and get all emotional about my grandmother turning NINETY. NINE -OH. Ninety. If you've read here before, you probably know that my grandmother has had a downward spiral in the last year or so. Each member of our family has his or her own feelings about what is happening to her... I guess some of it is inevitable. Just part of aging. It's been hard for me to see her deteriorate. She used to be so full of spit and a bit of vinegar, definitely had some stories to tell. She's been through so much in her life, and we've always said we should write her stories down so they are not forgotten. I'd love to do a bit of that here, and if anyone else would like to leave a story or two she told you in the comments, that would be wonderful. Then we would have them, we would have a record.
I am having a hard time remembering the things she talked about, but I remember some of the things she lived through. Her parents were from Wales, they immigrated to this country a few years or so before she was born. She had four big brothers, two born in Wales. Her parents didn't speak English very well. She never spoke Welsh, but could understand it when it was spoken to her. She grew up in Johnstown, Pennsylvania during the Great Depression. Some of her brothers and her husband fought in WWII. My grandfather (Pop Pop) was among the US Army personnel that liberated Dachau, though he didn't like to talk about it, he did tell my brother and I some of the things he had seen there. After the Army, my grandfather was in the National Guard for 20 years, retiring a Lieutenant  Colonel, so they were a military family and Nain raised my mom alone for the first year of her life.

Both of her sons were in the Army during the Vietnam War. My Uncle Donny was a paratrooper, and was awarded several medals, including a Silver Star, and a Purple Heart with Clusters. He was released from the Army with Commendations for his bravery. Her other son, Jeff, was in Thailand for much of the war, working as a code translator for the Army. My grandmother had to have had untold stores of strength to get through both sons being oversees, but much worse was to come.

In 1979, my Uncle Donny was killed in an accident. He was only 31 years old. In later years she would survive the deaths of all her brothers, their wives who were her best friends, and her husband. She had buried one son, and the other just drifted away. We haven't heard from him in almost 15 years. I know she carried that pain with her. Through the years, all of her friends passed away, one by one. I think she is the last one of her generation in our family.

Even after Pop-Pop died, she was very independent. She survived breast cancer, but only after having a double mastectomy. She eventually moved from PA to be closer to my mom and dad, but for years she made the 7 hour drive all by herself to come for visits. I know it had to be hard for her to leave Pennsylvania, and all that was comfortable and familiar.

Ninety years can hold an awful lot of life, can't it? So, we gathered. We celebrated. And, for the gazillionth time in a week, we ate cake.

We piled all the kids; big, medium and small, into an activities room at Nain's nursing home. Four generations, all starting with this one tiny woman. She LOVED it! She always loves being the Belle of the Ball, and this birthday was no different. She loved being sung to. She loved the presents, she loved the kids running around like maniacs, having been fed cake and no supper, yet. She had some rare moments of clarity. She seems to always know my mom, and Dani's little Squishy, but she told me to go get Aunt Sadie, who's been dead for 60 years, a piece of cake. I, of course, obliged. We told her how old she was and she thought she must be much older than merely ninety. A minute later she was protesting that she was only 17. (She was hit by a car at 17, and this age and event seems to stick in her head more than most.)

Overall, I think she had a good time. She wasn't ready to quit partying when a nurse came to get her!  We tried, rather unsuccessfully to get a photo with Nain (or SupaNain, as all the great grands call her) and all the great grand children, but it wasn't to be. Meg had class, and a couple of them were rather uncooperative.

Amy, Pete and Nain

SupaNain and Baby Spencer

Nain, my mom and dad, Stacy, Amy, and babies

Kakers and Noodle - why do our nicknames so often revolve around food?

Biz and Wish

Well, we tried!

Happy Birthday, Nain. From you, all of this has come. You are the first of the Megan's, mother of three, grandmother of seven, great grandmother of at least 24! Quite a legacy, #1. Quite a legacy, indeed. I love you.

The Party Never Ends...

I know this is Thursday already, but the weekend and this week have gone by in a whirlwind of parties, cupcakes, lunches, and more cake. Thankfully, I am not just talking about my birthday anymore, though my parents planned a lovely lunch for the whole family on Sunday.

The Bigger Boys

We all met after Mass on Sunday at our favorite Mexican restaurant. It was a little crazy, 21 kids and 10 adults crammed into one section of the restaurant. I didn't even our servers. We kept them hopping! I am pretty sure we munched through a dozen baskets of chips and a gallon of salsa before our food arrived. The kids had sat all the way through Mass, and many of them religious ed. before that, so they were a bit rowdy - but not too bad.

We ate and talked and yelled at Littles to sit down and be quiet. Then they - they being my sisters and brother - as had been prearranaged,  decided to give a little summary of each of my decades, with my mom doing the last decade. This of course was funny, and sweet, and since my brother had the teen years, somewhat horrifying. He has a very long memory, at least when it comes to stuff I did wrong in my teen years. I was reminded of the mailbox massacre of the summer after I got my license. And the time I was stupid enough to put my sister in the trunk of the car because there was no room left in the actual car, I had packed it so full of passengers. I am pretty sure they said some nice stuff, too, but I was so consumed with guilt and horror over the bad things I had done as a teen, I can't remember what they were!
But, we laughed, I cried, we ate some cake.  I looked around at the faces in the room with me, marveling at how our little family of six has blossomed into a big extended family with almost 33 members.

                                                        I love every single one of them! Thanks to all of them for making my birthday so special, and so easy!

Japan

Japan -

A warning about scammers, and a couple of legit places to donate money to the people of Japan.

Count Down to 40 - It's Here!

Today is the day. I turned 40 years old today. My darling husband went to great lengths to create a happy memory for my 40th birthday, and he succeeded - big time. All the sweet little details, all the lifelong loves and little stories he must have remembered to put together such a lovely birthday - I kinda like that guy. It doesn't hurt that he seems to like me back, and we have been enjoying that wonderful second honeymoon feeling for a long time now. Love ebbs and flows, and it is flowing right now, baby. And I am soaking up every second of it. He has somehow made my turning 40 feel like a new courtship. Like falling in love again - and not just for the last few days, it's been weeks. I mean, we are generally pretty happy souls to begin with - like minded and content. But lately - it's been hearts and flowers and rose colored glasses.

If you were here yesterday, you heard all about the lovely day he created for the day before I turned 40 - my last day in my 30s - and it was...just.. I don't even know how to put it, exactly. It was one surprise after another. And while I love all the sweets and treats - it was the effort and planning that it took to put it all together that just killed me. It was magical, and it made me feel like I was 26, and head over heels in love with the best guy in the world. I hope he knows how much I love and appreciate all he did.

Today was my actual birthday  - the man didn't stop - I woke up to whole wheat french toast and strawberries. A healthy version of a lovely breakfast - thank goodness! After breakfast all my girls and I went to see a performance of Cinderella at the Canton Ballet. Meeting us there were; my sweet sister in law: Amy, my goddaughter, and all the nieces who were old enough to sit through it (We missed our Rhi-Rhi and Bananie- next year!), including Squishy, a.k.a. Lauren - my birthday buddy! She was born on my 35 birthday - best present I ever got! During the second half of the performance, my little nieces, 4 year old Jelly and 5 year old Squishy decided to come cuddle up in my lap. They were both getting tired, and wanted to be held. Amy wanted to take one of them, but I was reveling in the joy of those two little girls. Both happy to climb up into their auntie's lap to watch the rest of the show. They put their little heads together, and put their arms around each other. Not sisters, but cousins,  these two. As I looked across the row in front of us, where the middle girls sat, I saw that the three of them had their heads together, watching intently. I say this all the time, but I am glad, grateful, and gratified that my children are growing up with their cousins. Its a wonder and a blessing.

As I watched the rest of the ballet, I just sat and absorbed the joy of sitting in a dark theatre with all my girls, and these sweet littles. I closed my eyes for a second, and smelled their little heads. Shampoo and lip gloss and other girly scents. I miss that so much, as my youngest girl is 10 (though she did let me do her hair today). I am so blessed to have these beautiful little girls I can grab for a cuddle and a sniff of the curious combination of baby shampoo and fruity lip gloss.

I came home to the arms of my beloved, and the sweet craziness of my boys. Tomorrow - after Mass - more partying - my parents have invited the whole clan out to lunch for my birthday - it'll be crazy - 21 kids, 10 adults, and a little celebrating to do. It's a grand way to start the 41st year of my life...with family.

A Nostalgic Tour of Treats

This was my last day in my thirties. It was a great day, mostly because my sweet husband knows me so well, he made this day easy and fun. It started late last night with cannoli from a bakery in Little Italy. They were so good, we just had to wake up the girls to come have one with us!
My husband has been dragged all over several states in search of a good cannoli. I had my first taste of cannoli when I was 15. We were in Baltimore and  I had gone somewhere with Uncle Mike, I can't even remember exactly where, some shopping area, and he bought me a cannoli. It was so delicious, and I have been trying to find one as good ever since. I think we may just have found it! So, so sweet of Douglas to think of it.

When we got up this morning it was school, lunch, and the usual. I was trying not to think too much about it being my last day in my 30s, which is absurd, really. Why on earth have I worried about this so much? I started making plans for the day, hollering at people to go where ever they needed to go, get on with the day, when I noticed that Doug was having all the children file into the dining room. I was on the phone making plans for the evening. I hung up, and Doug brought in a cake from Johnnie's Bakery, a famous, beloved bakery in Canton. He knows I love Johnnie's, for the simple fact that it is a Canton institution, and our family used to always get donuts there on Sunday mornings, and I love that memory. He and the parade of munchkins presented me with new earrings, two new books I have wanted, and last but not least (really not least at all!) a box of 40 chocolates from another Canton staple, Anastasiades. My sister and I, when we first got our liscenses,  would run all over Canton and North Canton, often in search of some food or other, or just something to do. At the time, Anastasiades had an ice cream counter. We would go in for ice cream, but leave with chocolates. They are, hands down, the best chocolates in the area.Thank goodness there are lots of little people here to help me eat all these treats - I would be in big trouble without them!

We topped of this food extravaganza with a trip to the Spread Eagle Tavern in Hanoverton, Ohio. This place is full of historical charm and significance. It was part of the underground railroad, and has been a favorite stop for Republican campaign tours. Abraham Lincoln slept there! George W. Bush has eaten there, and so did his dad. For a political junkie and history lover, this was beyond fun. Not to mention the impeccable service and outstanding food. It was a great surprise and a lot of fun - I can't wait to go back!
As if all that weren't enough, my beloved topped off my last day in my 30s with a Kindle! Ah - to have all the world's greatest literary works at my fingertips! The man knows me so well! I am a sap. So, throw in some nostaligia, some yummy food, a little history and politics, and the ability to read anything I could ever want, any time I want. It doesn't get much better, as birthdays go!
Tomorrow, my actual birthday, will be a fun day, too. I am taking all my girls, my goddaughter and niece, and meeting my sister in law and her girls to go see a performance of Cinderella by the Canton Ballet. That and a visit to my grandmother should make for a lovely afternoon. Not a bad way to spend your first day in your 40s, right? I think it's going to be grand. I think 40 is going to be grand, too.