FOOD FOR THOUGHT

It's been forever since I've posted a recipe...sorry about that. So I'm posting two this time. Enjoy!!

Recipe #1
This comes from the kitchen of my mom. It's so easy to make and a wonderful refreshing treat on a hot summer day.

Heaven / Orange Fluff
Ingredients
2 large or 3 small cans mandarin oranges (drained)
1 can crushed pineapple (do not drain)
8oz tub cool whip
1 bag mini marshmallows

Directions
put marshmallows in bowl, pour pineapple in (don't drain)...drain oranges and pour in the bowl. let all of this soak for about 30 minutes. add 2 cups of cool whip. mix everything together well. add cherries or coconut if you want. refrigerate.


Recipe #2
This comes from the kitchen of a friend. I can't say where it originally came from. I'll just say that there was this place that I loved to get wings at and it closed...hmmm...maybe someone got ahold of a recipe :)

Wing Sauce
Ingredients
1/2 c. or 1 stick Butter
2 T. Chopped Garlic
2 T. Casun Spice
1 1/2 t. Rosemary
1 c. Corn Syrup
2 c. Durkee Hot Sauce (Texas Peet works too)

Directions
In a saucepan melt butter and add garlic, casun spice, rosemary and corn syrup. Mix well over and bring to a simmer. Add hot sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Makes 1 quart of sauce.

CARNIVAL FISH

It always amazes me how these stupid fish can stay alive in that little bag of water that they give you but as soon as the fish has a home in a tank / bowl...it dies. This is what happened last night. The fish was floating when I went downstairs at 6 this morning. Tyler doesn't know yet...I made Gary flush the thing when he got home from work. It freaked me out when I saw it floating this morning. Pretty gross.

CAN'T I JUST FREEZE TIME?

My precious little Ian is four months old now!!! I can't believe it. Time flies. Last night (Tuesday) for dinner he got his first taste of veggies...green beans to be exact...and he LOVED them. He didn't even hesitate after the first bite. He just opened his mouth wide for the next bite. He is also holding his bottle (mostly) on his own now. He just wraps those little hands around it...so cute.

After eating his green beans

Holding his bottle...he's a big boy

SUMMERTIME MEANS CARNIVALS

Our town is having a carnival right now to support the local fire companies / ems. If you're local and want information click here. We went tonight and for the most part had a good time. I thought it was kind of small but it is the first year they're doing it so maybe they're just waiting to see how it goes over before they go too big. (that's what my husband says). We did eat, play some games, Ty rode a ride (which amazed me...he never likes the rides), and talked to a bunch of people that we ran into.
Ty and his friend Shawn on the scrambler

Ian and Tristan (Shawn's brother)

My little cousin Alexa...look at that face :)

Tyler and his cousin Kaela (and the fish Tyler won)

Tyler's fish...he calls him "killer"

VACATION!!!

I'll start by saying that these past few days out of town went WAY TOO FAST!!! We had a wonderful time just getting away. We left on Thursday morning (not as early as I would have liked because we overselpt) and were beachbound. I took a ton of pictures...454 to be exact (I'm still addicted to my new camera). I figured I'd tell the story of our vacation thru pics...I have an entire list to post. Enjoy...
We arrived in Ocean City, Maryland on Thursday around 4pm. The first thing I did was roll my car window down and smell the Ocean air. We settled into the hotel (we stayed at the Dunes Manor Motel) and walked up to the boardwalk. Ian had his first view of the sand and the ocean and was in total amazement. Gary and Tyler walked him down to the water and as they got closer he started cooing. He really loves water.
Ian's first view of the ocean...

We enjoyed pizza from Milano's pizza on the boardwalk, did some shopping, bought some chocolate from the Kandy Kitchen, and headed back to the room. Gary and Tyler then headed out to play mini golf and ride some go carts.
Chocolate covered strawberries...yum

Friday we went for breakfast at a pancake house...i never realized breakfast could be so expensive. Our bill was almost $40 and it was nothing fancy...just your typical breakfast. We then headed to the beach. Gary and I ventured down to the water with Ian and decided that the water was too cold for us to enjoy. Tyler didn't seem to mind. He spent the majority of the afternoon in the ocean. Ian was content to just have his feet in the sand. I don't know if it was the sound of the ocean or what, but Ian ended up sleeping for almost 2 and a half hours while we were there. Tyler then decided that he wanted to be buried in the sand. I think this is disgusting...all that sand yuck.
The first time Ian has "touched" the ocean water

He loved his feet in the sand

where'd Tyler go?

the after effects (he had to wash off in the ocean at least 5 times)

the beautiful view

After the beach it was time to get ready to go to dinner...AND WE WERE GOING TO PHILLIPS!!! I look forward to this retaurant every time I'm at the beach. The food was amazing (as usual) and we all ate way too much. After we ate we headed back to the boardwalk for some more shopping and just walking. We started at the beginning of the boardwalk this time. Tyler even played a game and won...he is enjoying tell anyone that will listen that he "beat some old guys". He got a kung fu panda for his prize (he loved that movie). Ian and I stood and watched this sling shot ride...it was kind of a reverse bungee ride. It was a nice relaxing evening.
Tyler with his prize (the game he won at is behind him)

Saturday we headed to the beach again...however I thought it was pretty windy and kind of cold (I was wrapped up in a towel) so we headed back to hit the pool. The hotel next door has an indoor / outdoor pool that we had access to (it's still the dunes just the upscale hotel instead of the motel that we stayed at). Ian, once again, loved the water. He even was trying to get himself to his belly and was kicking his legs the whole time. I truely think he is happiest when he's in water. And of course Tyler was swimming all over the place. He's another one that loves the water.
My beach bum

Ian in the pool

i think i should look into swim lessons for this water critter

While on the boardwalk (I can't remember if it was Friday or Saturday) I took notice to a couple of things...the sand sculptures and the firemans memorial / tribute. The sand sculptures are always religious and even though I'm not a very religious person, I think the sculptures are amazing. The fireman's memorial / tribute was interesting to look at and read.
the sand sculptures



fireman's memorial / tribute

This piece of steel from the World Trade Center was also there. I found this very interesting...I even made Tyler take the time to come look at this. (He is old enough that he kind of remembers 9/11 but really only knows what he's been told or has seen). Here's the piece of steel and the reading that was with it...


So it was Saturday night and time to leave on Sunday. Here's the boys relaxing in the motel one of the nights. Not sure which night it's from but it's one of the few pics I actually got of them together

So it's now Sunday...technically the end of our vacation...until we decided to extend it by a day. We headed over to Ocean City, New Jersey to visit our sister in law and our nieces. Gary's brother was out of town (flying spoiled rich people somewhere) so we didn't get to see him but the trip was definitely worth it. We took the Cape May-Lewes Ferry from Deleware to New Jersey. This is something that is probably really worth doing if you're in the area. It was pretty rocky and rough which they did warn us about but if I survived it anyone can...click here for the website. Here are some pics that I took while en route on the ferry
boarding

My boys

a lighthouse we passed (not sure which one this is)

We had a blast in New Jersey visiting our sister in law (Kim) and our nieces (Kaitlyn, Megan, Morgan, and Madison). We went over to OC and had Mack's pizza, walked on the boardwalk, shopped, went to the mall and shopped some more, and just caught up on things. I'm so glad that we finally got to try this Mack's pizza that Kim talks about (and eats haha) all the time. It really was good. Definitely gonna get more when we're out in July.
How excited does she look to be spoiling eh holding Ian?

Tyler with the triplets

All the kids at the mall play place


So that was our vacation. We even managed to get thru it with noone getting sunburn. Now it's time to get back to reality...laundry, cleaning, bills...I should have stayed at the beach.

EVERYONE NEEDS A LAUGH...

I got this in an email and thought it was worth sharing...enjoy

Subject: WHY GOD MADE MOMS

Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of ?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your mom?
1. My Mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him
3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms & dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3 Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Moms have magic; they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Dye it. You know her hair. I'd dye it, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

GARY'S GIFT

I have a new reason to love my camera!!! I have been ordering things from this website (www.personalizationmall.com) and found that I can upload pictures that I take and use them to make gifts. I thought I'd give it a try for Gary's Father's Day gift...and I was pleasantly suprised when I received the picture in the mail. It's beautiful. I love it. I'm pretty sure Gary was impressed too. Here it is. The hands in the pic are Tyler's and Ian's...the poem was one that they had on the website and I liked it so I used it.

MY LATEST READ...HOLD TIGHT

What it's about (from Doubledaybookclub.com)
Harlan Coben's new thrill ride, undisputedly his best yet, is a gut-wrenching cautionary tale of what can go wrong when the lines of communication between parents and children shut down.
Tia and Mike Baye never worried that their son, a hockey superstar and solid student, would become one of those sullen teens with “issues.” But after 16-year-old Adam's best friend Spencer Hill commits suicide, he becomes rebellious and secretive, giving them reason to install a sophisticated spy program on his computer. When a message orders their son to “just stay quiet” it sends ripples of fear down their spines. What has Adam gotten himself into?
Betsy Hill asks herself the same thing when, searching online, she comes across a picture of her son taken on the night of his death. She's positive she sees Adam Baye in the background. Yet didn't he swear to her and the police that he never saw Spencer that night?
When Adam suddenly goes missing, neither of these parents gets the answers they seek. All they know is that something deep and sinister has infected their community and they're quite correct in fearing that what they've experienced so far is only the darkness before the storm….

My thoughts...
I loved this book!!! As usual, Coben keeps you guessing until the very last page. It took me awhile to read this only because I just don't have the free time like I used to. I definitely did not want to put it down...it was very easy to fall into the character's lives and problems. I highly reccomend all of Coben's books.

SO PROUD OF TYLER!!

Tyler got this in the mail the other day. I'm so proud of him. He was so determined to not miss any school this year and he did it! Thank god I have a kid that likes school.

TO ALL THE DADDY'S OUT THERE...

...ESPECIALLY TO MY AMAZING HUSBAND WHO IS AN EVEN MORE AMAZING DADDY!!!
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

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ROLL BABY ROLL

Just thought I'd update everyone on Ian's latest milestone...he rolled over on Friday night!!! He went from his back to his belly twice for Gary. Of course he did this while I was on my way into work (sob sob). Lookout, my little guy will be mobile soon!

CAMPING AND SWIMMING AND FISHING AND...

It seems like it's been forever since I've posted an update. Life has been busy around here.

Tyler finished up his soccer season with a win (finally). It was definitely a nice way to close the season out. No more soccer til August.
Ty's spring soccer travel team picture...

My niece Elle (peanut) is really growing and getting cuter every time I see her. Ian still looks huge next to her but I think she'll catch up soon.
Ian and Elle...


My cousin Heather's baby came home from the NICU. She's doing well...just really tiny. She wasn't even 5 pounds when she came home.
Madison Rayne...(all these little girls...makes me want one, well eventually)


We have been trying to get up to camp as much as we can. We were just up this past Sunday and took one of Tyler's friends with us. They had a blast. They fished, they swam in the river, we went for ice cream and we found duckies to feed. Ian's first experience with ducks...not sure he really knew what was going on but it's cute to think he did.
The boys enjoying the river (yuck)...

Ian relaxing by the river...

Feeding the duckies...look at the babies...



Today we enjoyed some pool time in our little pool...it's only a two foot thing but it's refreshing and great for the kids. This was Ian's first experience with a pool and he loved it.
Pool time with mommy...

Tyler, Ian and Daddy playing...


So that's what we've been up to lately. Tomorrow I go back to work...but only for 4 days...then it's vacation time. We're beach bound next Thursday for a long weekend. I can't wait to see how Ian reacts to the ocean and the sand. Tyler, I'm sure, will make me a nervous wreck in the ocean with his boogie board...that kid has no fear. Maybe Ian and I will just hang out at the pool...