birthday baby.

This one has turned one.

Two minutes ago, he was staring up at me with swollen little eyes and a little beanie cap, meeting me face to face for the very first time. And I, in spite of my tiredness and even a bit of pain, was falling head over heels in love all over again, wondering what was in store for me and my life with this beautiful little one.

Now those two minutes have passed. He's so independent yet still dependent at the same time, wanting to discover how far is too far, how high is too high, how loud is too loud, how big is too big, how much is too much. All the while he knows I am right there if he needs me to catch him.

Well, honey, one day you will discover what's too far for you and maybe what's too loud for you, but I want you to know that you can never reach too high, dream too big, or love too much. In life there are limits, but the most important things are limitless. Our love for you is limitless. The joy you bring into our lives is limitless. Your potential is limitless. And the Lord's love and grace for you is limitless. He too is always right there to catch you.

How fortunate I am to have you in my life. I wish I could bundle up all of what I feel for you and give it to you as a birthday gift, but there isn't a box big enough in this universe. Only hugs, kisses, and these words will have to suffice: Mommy loves you.

Happy birthday boo.

poultry.

I'm sure everyone will be having lots of it! Happy Thanksgiving to all!

I'll be gone for the next several days, probably until Monday or Tuesday of next week. Busy time for us. But I'll have a couple of new blogs to put on the "found" list plus a new series of New Year's reflections. Until then, God bless all of you! And try not to burst from all of that good food!

nostalgia tuesday.

Not sure how old I was when my dad took this. Maybe five or six. I do remember going to the airport a lot, because my grandfather worked for Eastern Airlines. Eastern Airlines is no more, and the old airport is now one of the runways of Hartsfield-Jackson. I have no clue what became of that hat.

can you tell me how to get?...

I read this post earlier, and was informed as well as entertained! Here it is for all of you 70's and 80's babies out there...

20 Things You Didn't Know About Sesame Street

end of the tunnel.

Two classes down, one to go...

I finally finished all of the evaluations for my vocal coaching class and sent them off! Whew! Now I need a break. I think I'll tackle the Spanish class tomorrow. I'm starting to see a light at the end of the grading tunnel...

I'll tackle the recital planning tomorrow too. I feel like just chilling and watching some tv now. No more working!

I had to send hubby to get me some more Boost. He got me Vanilla this time. Yum.

found.

Okay. If the images on this blog don't make you swell up with glee, then few things probably will.

Geninne's Art Blog

boost.

I bought some this week, using a coupon that was advertised at Publix. I love this stuff. I discovered it when Bobby was a baby. I would get to feeling really run down, and I would have a can of Vanilla Boost. It was way too small of a can. It just didn't last long enough. It tasted so good.

Now they've got bottles. I thought I had picked up Vanilla at the store, but got home and realized it was Chocolate. No biggie. Chocolate's good too, just not as good as Vanilla. What matters is that I've needed a boost. Several boosts.

This week has been so busy I've hardly had time to write any quality posts. It's all due to school. I hate midterms. I have evaluations to write for three classes: a music appreciation class, a vocal coaching class, and a high-school beginning Spanish class. The music appreciation class is done. The other two are not, and I am not looking forward to writing all of them. Not to mention the chorus that I direct is performing next week for our Fall Concert, and I am in the midst of planning a Winter Recital for my private students. Not to further mention keeping up with all of my son's schoolwork.

This week has really kicked my butt. And it ain't over yet! And even when it is over, there's still Thanksgiving to prepare for! Then Ian's birthday! Then my birthday! Then my mom's birthday! Then my wedding anniversary! Then Christmas! Then Bobby's birthday! Then New Year's! Then winter break is over and everything starts up again! Only I don't see a real BREAK! Aaarrrgh!

Calgon, take me away.

Or Boost take me away.

Okay, don't really "take me away," but keep me well sugared-up.

he says mommy!

Baby Ian has begun the transition from saying "Ma-ma" to "Mommy." He's said it several times this evening. He sounds so cute! What a gem.

...and the pork chops.

So here's what I did to make my Potato Souped-Up Pork Chops (I gave it a catchier title) earlier in the week last week.

I took some thin, boneless breakfast chops (I believe there were eight of them), dipped each one in extra virgin olive oil, and put them in a pyrex baking dish. I then gave them a sprinkling of sea salt and fresh-ground pepper. Then I took some dried organic garlic seasoning and sprinkled that over them. I wasn't too heavy-handed, but heavy enough (I actually feared at first that I may have put too much garlic on them). I put them in my preheated 325-degree oven.

While they were baking, I whipped out a can of Broccoli and Cheese Potato soup and set it on low heat. It had all kinds of chunks in it, and smelled really good. When the pork chops were done (I just eyeballed them), I took them out and let them cool for just a couple of minutes. The garlic smell was fairly strong. I was still a little afraid that it was too much garlic.

Alas, it wasn't (as tasting them later proved). I plated them alongside some sweet English peas, then spooned the soup over them. I sprinkled some French Fried onions on top for crunch. (That ended up being so tasty, I decided to use them again for my Reverse Shepherd's Pie.)

Again, Barefoot Contessa it's not (I do love her. She's like Martha Stewart's little cousin or something), but that hardly matters. My guys were asking for seconds, as was I. The pork chops didn't taste over-seasoned at all. They were delicious. And my husband actually thought that I had made the soup from scratch. I guess he didn't notice that dinner was ready in just over half an hour.

I love pork chops. The other white meat INDEED.

found.

I love food. Who doesn't?

I like to eat good food. I also love trying out new recipes, and I delight in the results. I also love pictures. Pictures with lots of color and detail are my favorites (aside from black and whites).

So, I have stumbled upon several food blogs that have lots of good-looking recipes and good-looking pictures of good food, which I know I probably would enjoy eating. Here is the first:

Pinch My Salt

I swear, I am chomping at the bit to call up Williams-Sonoma and order one of those mini-cheesecake pans so that I can make these mini pumpkin cheesecakes for Thanksgiving. My pumpkin pie is pretty scrumptious (so I've been told anyway), but those cheesecakes look like little bits of pumpkin heaven. Cute blog title too. Check it out at your leisure.

what a week.

TGIF.

This week has been such a blur. I don't know why, but I was, like, upside-down or something. Just didn't feel right. It's probably due to the change in time. I hate Eastern Standard Time. Getting dark at five is just wrong. By 7:30 you feel like it's 11 and you want to go straight to bed. Everything's just "off."

Which leads to why I haven't posted much this week. I've felt more tired than usual. I think it will take me a couple of weeks to get used to being out of Daylight Savings Time. Now that it's Friday and I can veg out for a minute without having to worry about being up early tomorrow morning, I'll catch up on these posts.

...Actually, I do have to be up early tomorrow morning. Darnit.