Julie Fries

Dear Em,
Back when I was in grad school, your daddy & I went to a RedSox game at Camden Yards. Before the game we stopped at ESPN Zone for lunch. I can't remember what we got as entrees, but I'll never forget our appetizer. They were yummy & gooey & bacony cheese fries. I'm pretty sure they didn't contain any nutritional value, but they were amazing & I didn't care.

As soon as we got home, I tried to recreate the large plate of unhealthiness. It wasn't exactly the same, but it was pretty close. I made them for my staff as a staff-meeting snack, & they started to call them Julie fries.

Maybe it was because we started to make healthier options after grad school, maybe we just started to make other munchie things, but years passed & we totally forgot about Julie fries...Until a few weekends ago.

I bought the ingredients, & baked them up. They are just as gooey & yummy & unhealthy as ever. Definately not something I'll be making every week (we'd all die of heart attacks), but I think this is going to be a good get-together snack again.

It doesn't look the most appetizing. In fact, you took one look & said no thank you. I'll share the recipe anyway. Maybe someday you'll learn to appreciate Julie Fries...then again, maybe it's better for your health if you don't.

Julie Fries

Ingredients

Bag of Seasoned Curly Fries

15 oz. Jar of Salsa Con Queso Sauce (we like Tostidos)

Shredded Mexican Cheese Blend

Bacon Bits

Preheat oven to 450. Bake fries on a cookie sheet for 15 minutes. Cover the bottom of a round cake pan with a thin layer of Salsa Con Queso sauce. Pile cooked fries on top. Generously sprinkle with bacon bits & shredded cheese. Pour more Salsa Con Queso sauce on top (you'll use about half of the jar). Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is hot & melted.

The best way to eat the fries is with a fork! Enjoy!

I love you so,

Mommy

Our Untraditional/Traditional Halloween 2012

Dear Em,
Halloween was full of surprises this year. I have to say, waking up to find we still didn't have power was a little bit of a downer. Having to go to Grandma & Papa's house to take showers was kind of a bummer (although it felt so amazing to be able to take a hot shower at all). As I was driving to work, a determination grew inside me. Maybe we didn't have power. Maybe our beloved coast had been damaged & destroyed. Maybe towns were postponing & canceling Halloween altogether. Not us, our family was going to have a Happy Halloween & make the most of it regardless.

The fun started with trick or treating, a Halloween party, & a cute parade at your school.

Best Teachers EVER!

Your class photo. It's no surprise to me who is sitting on the ground crying. You wanted to go trick or treating, not wait around for a parade.

It was such a sweet little school parade.

After school, we headed to the Olde Mistick Village in hopes they would still be holding trick or treating even though half their town was destroyed by hurricane Sandy. We were in luck, trick or treating was in full swing. As an added bonus, the Mystic Aquarium had also opened it's doors for free trick or treating since so many towns had canceled it.

We met up with little S, who you have dubbed your big sister. It's become a Halloween tradition to trick or treat with her & her family (Halloween 2011 & Halloween 2010), & we felt so thankful that we were all stayed safe during the storm & could still go out trick or treating. You were beyond excited to see little S.

The two of you skipped together, giggled together, & held hands together. It was adorable.

You were both so excited to see princesses.

Especially Rapunzel.

You were great at saying "trick or treat" this year, & it showed us how much you've grown up since last year. I think we also learned not to give you candy until the end of the night. Once you had a taste, you begged for more. "Daddy, give me candy! I need candy, pleeeeease!"

After the village, we headed to the aquarium.

First stop: beluga whales!

I remember going trick or treating with S's mom when we were young. It's so fun to watch our girls together on Halloween.

It was so kind of the aquarium to open it's doors to all the families for free. It was also crazy crowded & hectic. Once we had started tirck or treating, we realized there was only one way out, & we had to walk the whole thing. It took forever, but you were having a blast with little S & who can say they go trick or treating at an aquarium? All in all, it was a great time.

Just to add to the healthiness of all the candy, we went to McDonalds for dinner. I know I should feel like a bad mom, but hey, you were happy with your happy meal & it beats trying to make dinner in a power-less house.

When we got home, you & I put our skeleton PJs on & used our lantern to light them up so they would glow. I went to grab something in another room & returned to see you had shut the lantern off & had a huge smile across your face. "Mommy, I made myself glow!" You knw just the way to melt me heart. We read a book using lantern light before I tucked you into bed. We said our prayers, & when I prayed for the return of power, you chimed in with "& TV!" 

I couldn't help but smile, thinking about what a special day it had turned out to be. Hours later, it got even better. I was the only one still awake when I noticed a blue light coming from our cable box & heard the hum of our heat turning on. I felt like it was Christmas morning. I shook your Daddy awake & jumped up & down, turning on lights just to be sure. We had our power back!

When you woke up this morning, you mirrored our excitement. You ran to your light switch & flicked it off & on & off & on, with a big smile on your face. You spent the rest of the morning talking about all the things we can do now that we have power again. I don't know if we'll ever take power for granted again...at least not for a while.

So, what started off kind of rocky, ended up being a sweet Halloween memory...I don't think it could've been without you. Thanks for keeping smiles on our faces.

I love you so,

Mommy

losing power

Dear Em,
Well, we're safe. Our family is safe & our home is intact.

Before the storm, we got water & we got ice. You know, the things you do before a storm. A state of emergency was called for Rhode Island on Sunday night, & we watched the wind pick up.

On Monday we all hunkered down in the house. Daddy was lucky to work from home & I was lucky to have been told to stay off the roads in the unsafe weather. We stayed inside & waited for the worst of hurricane Sandy.

Mostly, you & I just watched TV. In the off chance we lost power, I figured we may as well stock up on as much useless TV watching before then. We watched a lot of the weather channel. There was so much water. Water where there shouldn't be water...in New Jersey where I graduated from high school...in NYC...on our favorite coastline spots in Connecticut & Rhode Island.

I couldn't keep from staring out the windows. Trees were blown around so hard, they were practically bent over. I couldn't help but think of everyone who didn't have a warm house to hunker down in. What happened to those people? We're did they go?

We woke up Tuesday morning still with power intact. Daddy walked around the house & except for some fallen branches, our home had stood well in the storm. I couldn't help but feel a smiley feeling in my heart, & think about how lucky we were.

And then at around 7:40 the power went out & it hasn't come back.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still so thankful that we were safe and there was no damage to our home. But I miss things. Things like taking showers & turning lights on. You cried for 5 minutes. "Please fix my TV?" You spent pretty much the whole day turning the light switches up & being surprised when no light turned on.

To remove you from the sadness of no power, I decided to take you to the park. Guess what? Daddy's car didn't have power either. So, we played outside and had a lunch picnic. I read a book while you napped, & encouraged you to read books so I could continue reading once you woke up...no such luck.

I was mostly saving our electronics. I checked Facebook & national grid here & there, but mostly remained unplugged. And then this morning I checked the news stories on the IPad.

I couldn't help but gasp.

The devastation to our beloved coastline brought tears to my eyes. There is sand where grass and r streets once were. There are bricks from the wall strewn everywhere. Houses were taken into the ocean (I find myself wondering if you pink house even exists). My heart aches for Rhode Island & Rhode Islanders & some of our favorite spots in the whole world.

My prayers go out to so many who have lost so much in this storm.

This Halloween just doesn't seem like Halloween.

I love you so,
Mommy

Happy Halloween 2012

Dear Em,
Happy Halloween! I can't wait to take you trick or treating tonight. You are going to be so adorable in your little lamb costume.

I feel like it was forever ago that we picked out your costume...well, it kind of was. In August, a costume catalogue was mailed to our house. We looked through the pages filled with costumes a few times, & I asked you what you wanted to be for Halloween. You pointed to a lamb costume. I was a little surprised. You love lambs, but you're such a girly girl. I really thought you would want to be something covered in pink.

"Are you sure you don't want to be a flower?" "Nope." "Are you sure you don't want to be a princess?" "No, I want to be a sheepy." So, I continued to ask you each day for the next week what you wanted to be for Halloween. Every time you gave me the same response, "a sheepy." So, I ordered your costume.

Your lamb costume came in a month later. We tried it on you & you ooooohed & awed & squealed with happiness. You cried when I told you you had to take it off.

The next day we were on our way to school. "Hey, Mom, I think I want to be a flower for Halloween."

AUGH!

Luckily, your mind was easily swayed back to wanting to be a little lamb. A few weeks ago, we took our annual Halloween photo shoot (2010 photo shoot & 2011 photo shoot).

I might be biased, but I think you're the most adorable little lamb in the whole, wide world.

I love you so,

Mommy

jack-o-lanterns

Dear Em,
My family is so fun! Instead of carving real pumpkins each year, they also purchase & carve foam pumpkins from the craft store. We recently got a wicked fun care package from Nonnie & Papi with our own carved pumpkins.

They carved a pumpkin face for you, a scary shark for Daddy, & a Happy Halloween scene for me. We're all pretty impressed with their carving abilities.

Don't they look so fun next to our Spookley pumpkins? Of course, they look best when they're lit up at night.

I'm wicked excited that we can use them year after year. Maybe next year we can add some of our own creations too.

I love you so,

Mommy

Owl Cupcakes & Pumpkin Pie Milkshakes

Dear Em,
I do love fall & all the yummy food that comes with this season of crisp air & amazing smells. Remember our owl cupcakes last year? I was excited to make hootiful halloween treats again this year. Just like last year, baking with you was super fun & super messy.

You'd think I would have learned from last year. I turned my head for a second to look for my camera. I turned back & there was chocolate everywhere. Chocolate all over you, chocolate all over the floor, chocolate all over the counter & down the cabinets. Sigh.

You're lucky that you're so stinkin' cute.

We used vanilla frosting instead of coconut pecan frosting, because we can't find coconut pecan in Rhode Island anymore. You liked them just as much...maybe more.

Just to fill you up with a little more sugar, we also made milkshakes. We're always looking for new milkshake ideas. I found a recipe for a pumpkin pie milkshake on Giver's Log, & thought it would be the perfect fall treat.

Pumpkin Pie Milkshake & Toasted Cinnamon Graham Crackers

Ingredients for Milk Shake

4 Cups Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

2 Cups Milk

1 1/3 Cups Pumpkin Puree (we used canned)

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 Tbsp Brown Sugar

Dump everything in & blend.

Ingredients for Graham Crackers

12 Full Graham Crackers

2 Tbsp Butter

2 Tbsp Sugar

1 tsp Cinnamon

Preheat oven broiler. Combine Cinnamon & suagr. Spread crackers lightly with butter & sprinkle on cinnamon sugar. Broil until toasted (this doesn't take long...take it from me, the person who burned two batches & had the smoke detectors wailing).

Daddy said he likes his shakes a little sweeter. I thought the shake was alright. As much as I try, I just don't really like pumpkin flavor. You loved it. You especially loved dunking your half burned graham crackers into your shake.

At the end of the night, you were covered in pumpkin & chocolate, but you were happy. Actually, I think I found some pumpkin on your face even the next day...signs of a great weekend.

I love you so,

Mommy

the pink house on the beach

Dear Em,
We went for a walk on the beach the other day, & you were thrilled to find a pink house set right on the edge.

Em: "A pink house! That will be my pink house someday!"
Me: "Oh, that's where you are going to live? Right on the beach?"
Em: "Oh yes, and there is a yellow house right there, Mommy! You can live there. And we can find a blue house for Daddy to live in."
Me: "Hey, does Daddy have to live in a blue house? I think Daddy and I would like to live together."
Em: "Oh sure. You can both live in the yellow house, & I will live in the pink house."
Daddy: (Smiling at me.) "Mommy & I get to live in a house two just houses down from yours? I think we can handle that."
Daddy: "If Mommy & I live in the yellow house & you live in the pink house, we won't be able to make you breakfast. Can you make your own breakfast."
Em: "Well, no. Ok, you and Mommy can live in the pink house with me. I will let you live in my house forever."

Right now, it sounds kind of nice to live in a pink house on the beach with you & Daddy forever.

I love you so,
Mommy

Our Family Tree

Dear Em,
As a homework project, your teachers asked your class to work with their families on a family tree. I kind of forgot about the "work together" part as I started it after your bedtime the night before it was due. Whoops. We had a lot going on. I talked to another parent who told me it's just the beginning of me working on one of your projects while you sleep. Gosh, I hope not.

While you teachers provided us with some paper, they instructed us to make anything we wanted.

Here is ours:

I love that although we have a little family of three, we have a great big family tree. I also love that even though much of our family lives far away, we've been able to get together with them & have pictures that captured those moments. It's so fun to think of how our family tree will continue to grow & change. 

Plus, I loved looking at the rest of your classmate's family trees. Everyone made such unique family trees, & it was fun to learn more about each child & their family.

I'm so thankful for family, especially my little family of three.

I love you so,

Mommy

love letters

Dear Em,

"There were thousands of colors 

and hundreds of shapes.

Oh, what a garden variety makes...

and maybe one day we all will discover-

you can't judge a book,

or a pumpkin...

by it's cover."

- The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin by Joe Troiano

Last year we bought you the book The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin. I had no idea that Spookley was a spokes-pumpkin for the national bullying campaign. I thought it was a nice Halloween book that celebrated all colors & shapes & sizes. We want you to know that it's not just OK to be different, it's special to be different. And frankly, your daddy & I wouldn't mind you celebrating colors other than the color pink.

I didn't realize how much you would take the book to heart when we went to the pumpkin patch this past weekend. "Mommy, I can't wait to find Spookley at the pumpkin patch," you exclaimed as we drove to Buttonwoods farm. You looked defeated when you realized there were no square pumpkins to be found. Even more crushing for you, there were no pink pumpkins.

"Why are all these pumpkins orange? I really want a pink Spookley pumpkin," you told me as you searched the pumpkins.

"Well, pumpkins are normally orange, Em." I informed you.

The little pout on your face broke my heart, & I had an idea. "You know what, Em, we can paint our own Spookley pumpkins. You can paint yours pink," I offered (of course I hoped the Spookley book would teach you to celebrate all colors, but pink is still the only color you care about). You were excited by the idea.

Early this week we picked up three small pumpkins & one "baby pumpkin" from a local farm. We sat down just the three of us & each painted our own pumpkins. I painted mine in rainbow colors to celebrate all colors. Daddy painted a pumpkin to look just like you- which thrilled you from head to toe.  You painted your pumpkin....wait for it...pink. Actually, you started with pink, added some purple, & then mixed in a ton of other colors. Surprisingly, your pumpkin is still a pink-ish color, & we were proud of you for at least adding in colors other than just your favorite.

You & Daddy are very serious artists.

Our masterpieces.

It was a fun thing to do together as a family, & you were so excited that we made our own colorful pumpkins.

While you were sleeping, I painted eyes on yours & my pumpkins. You were thrilled when you woke up. "Ooooooh, our own Spookley pumpkins," you said with a smile on your face as you jumped up & down in happiness & excitement.

I just found out that there is also a Spookley movie, & I'm thinking we might need to invest in it this Halloween.

I don't know if you have really learned that being different is also about being special, but I think it's a start. Plus, your excitement about our Spookley pumpkins has sure put a smile in my heart.

I love you so,

Mommy

Thanks God!

Dear Em,
Last Friday was a big work day for me. I was a little stressed out about it, & the fact that it was also my day to bring you to school added to the stress. But then you reminded me to smile & what is important.

Emma Keane at 7:35am...
Em: Hey Mom, look at all the pretty colors of the leaves. Isn't it gorgeous?
Me: It sure is.
Em: Isn't it so nice that God made all the different colors?
Me: It is nice.
Em: Thanks God!
Me: (smiles)
Em: Hey Mom, want to say our prayers?
Me: (not quite sure which prayers, we had already prayed for our day earlier that morning) Um, sure, why don't you start.
Em: Now I lay me, down to sleep...
Me: (smiling as I look at the clock & see it is before 8am)
Em: I pray the Lord my soul to keep...
Me: (beaming with pride as my daughter reminds me what is really important)
Em: Watch me all through the night & wake me with the morning light. God bless...

We went through all of our family & friends, our school, our military, & our government. Then we thanked God for everything & asked him to help us with our day.

It was exactly what I needed at 7:35am that morning...exactly.

I love you so,
Mommy