Genius

We have a puzzle that’s fairly difficult to do, but it’s colorful, and Skye likes to play with it on occasion. On this occasion, she asked me to help her, so we put it all together, and then she gave me half of the pieces and asked me to put those in, and she would do the rest. Surprisingly, she did it, and when she asked me to only put in one piece, I told her that she could do it all by herself.

Here is the result:

Just had to share…sooo good!

 

If you know me, you know I LOVE tomato soup. Well, I just made a batch and it was so freakin’ good I had to document! (not my pic either, but that’s what it basically looked like)  Best part, only about 55 calories!  Unfortunately, I didn’t write down exact amounts, but hopefully this will help me remember…

 

I used a box of Pomi tomatoes.

 

We used these while in Slovakia and I don’t know why but they just taste so much better than regular canned tomatoes (use it in all my spag/tomato sauces now), but I’m sure canned would work too. The box will make 3 servings of soup (2 ladle scoops per serving).

 

Saute 1-2 tablespoons  of chopped garlic in just a bit of the tomatoes until the garlic is soft

Add box of tomatoes (get them in the organic section)

Add (half box) water until desired consistency.

Then generously season to taste with sea salt, ground pepper, dried thyme, little nutmeg, minced dried onion, garlic powder and about 1-2 large handfuls of large, fresh, basil leaves chopped up.

I also added 6 tablespoons of milk for just a touch of creamy without the guilt

Simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Eat with guilt-free grissini bread sticks and voila, YUMMY!

Ian’s birth story

Yeah, second children truly get ripped off! Not as many pictures or videos as the first. I can say though that at least I have been keeping up with his monthly, Dear Ian, letters. Getting them compiled is another story (Skye’s is almost done though, ha, three years later).  Since the next couple of weeks will be busy, I am going to post his birth story (since I never posted is last year) now even though his birthday isn’t until next week.  (BTW love Google documents! I wrote his story right after he was born there, but never post here).  I guess I’m feeling a little emotional about Ian getting older, as we say goodbye to baby-ness, probably forever. It’s a little heart-wrenching leaving your childbearing years, but I am so thrilled for the years to come.

Without further delay…

Ian Birth Story


I was 35 weeks and 2 days pregnant when I started having irregular contractions on Sunday, April 11. They felt more like cramps than contractions since I only had back contractions with Skye. Still, they were pretty constant, painful and irritating. I went up to Dads in Park City for dinner around 4 and Benjam stayed at home to game with his friends for his birthday… Continue reading “Ian’s birth story”

36 Cube

So I’ve been geeking out over a puzzle that I got for Christmas this year. The puzzle is called 36 Cube. If you have this puzzle, and haven’t solved this cube, or would like to in the future, or have any other reservations about reading spoilers,

PLEASE STOP READING.

This is not a hints post, and I do not ease you into a solution slowly. This is a post about how I solved the puzzle and some interesting facts about the puzzle I found out afterwards when I began to dive deeper into the solution set. As well as the programming that went with it.

If you would like some proper hand-holding, please see How to solve the 36 Cube puzzle – hints & solution for hints (and samples of the program that got me started down my path).

AGAIN, IF YOU DON’T WANT SPOILERS, PLEASE STOP READING!
Continue reading “36 Cube”

When I need a good laugh

I saw this online and the more I see it, the more I can’t stop laughing at it. This is not Ian, nor did Skye do this. The kid is clueless and you can just envision the toddler playfully putting them on his head. Poor kid :(

“My older daughter has a band aid obsession, and she put a bunch on his head. And I have yet to figure out a way to get them off without ripping out his hair. I removed 2 so far and he cried to no end. I felt bad for him. :(  ”

So there is some baby out there with a bunch of band aids on his head for no particular reason, but his older sister, and Mom can’t find a humane way to get them out, so he just continues to be Band Aid Head. Love it!