Maggie Moo

Since this is Lisa's blog, here are some pictures of Megan...

and because they grow up soooo fast...

Oh Lisa...

I thought this was too funny.

Guest Blogger

So - Lisa is out of town and I am guest blogging for her. She was a little nervous, so hopefully I keep the embarrassing moments to a minimum! By the way, this is Lisa's sister - you can read about me here.

Anyway, I have a few posts up my sleeve for the week. I decided to keep the first one very nice! It is a post dedicated to my wonderful sister.

Lisa is amazing! She is truly my best friend and life would be terrible without her! It's only been two days since we've talked and I already miss her. I look forward to her morning call at 9:00am and tomorrow will be the most difficult.

Here are some random things about her-

* She can dance like no other! Really, you should see her get down. ha. She prefers some good 80's tunes if you would like to get her in the mood.

* Her baking. She makes the most beautiful cakes ever. I keep telling her to go pro but she just won't listen.

* She can make a wet paper bag fun. Spending 11 hours in the car with her and never getting bored is not abnormal for a trip with Lisa.

* Her love for politics. As far back as I can remember, she has always loved good political drama!

* She is super smart. I mean super duper smart. I have to tell this story because it is so funny. Lisa was telling me on one of our road trips that John's family is so smart and they always ask her what she is reading or something like that - she wasn't reading much at the time and asked me if Soap Opera Digest would be an appropriate enough reply... haha. Only Lisa.

* She loves Lost, General Hospital, Dr. somebody on TLC - maybe G, Grey's, Jack's Big Music Show, the color pink, scrapbooking, blogging, her sister, blog stalking, talking on the phone, singing her 80's tunes (and early 90's), vacations, the Carribean, and so much more - but I have to go make my family dinner!

Oh Leaper, hope you are having a blast in Mexico. Look forward to some enjoyable posts this week :) Here is a little picture of Lisa to get you by...

We're Off to the Mayan Riviera

Well, not yet exactly. Our plane takes off tomorrow morning and then we'll be off.

I'm going to miss Megan so badly I get tears in my eyes every time I think about not seeing her for a week. Every morning her beautiful brown eyes are the first thing I see when I open my eyes. She stands next to my bed and says, "Mommy, the sun came up! Wake up mommy. I want "breakist." Wanna make "panpakes?" Since I'm not a morning person, John usually goes off to work before I am even awake and sweet Megan is my wake up call.

For the next week, John's beautiful brown eyes will be the first thing I see every morning. While I really hate to leave Megan, I realize having a full week to devote only to each other is great for our marriage and subsequently good for Megan. It reminds me of the advice flight attendants give - "Put on your own oxygen mask before assisting anyone else." This week TOGETHER is our oxygen mask - taking care of "us" first. We see it as an investment in our marriage rather than just a vacation. Reminding myself of that will help me pry myself away from my sleeping baby tomorrow morning and say good bye for a week.

Mom and Dad K. are here to hold down the fort. I told Mom K. she would get bonus points if Megan was fully potty trained when I return. ha, ha

I'll post some pics when we return. I'll miss all of you . . . and if you see my brown-eyed girl, give her a big hug from me.

Summer Moments

Since summer is coming to a close very quickly, I wanted to share some pics that may not have made it to the blog (and some that have.) Enjoy!

May 17, 2008 - Loves, loves, loves bubbles

May 31, 2008 - Buckeye the friendly donkey

June 8, 2008 - Saying goodbye to "Fly Guy the Butterfly" on the patio

June 12, 2008 - Mommy going crazy making birthday cakes

June 14, 2008 - Happy Second Birthday sweet girl

June 15, 2008 - Enjoying ice cream in pajamas at Rocky's - Happy Father's Day!

June 28, 2008 - Say goodbye to the recalled crib, say hello to countless sleepless nights

July 13, 2008 - Megan can swim all by herself (sort of)

July 21, 2008 - Megan runs into the sprinkler fully clothed - mom and dad just look at each other and say, "What the heck, she's having fun." They didn't realize the NEXT time Megan would see a sprinkler (while fully clothed) she would try to run into it. Very funny.

August 1, 2008 - Fun at the public pool

September 4, 2008- Eating watermelon from our garden

September 7, 2008 - Where is my mother? My daddy, bless his heart, dressed me today and took this picture.

September 16, 2008 - Still afraid of the carousel at the zoo, even with mommy riding with me

Bye, bye summer!

Fabric Pumpkins

My sister, my mom, and I got together to sew these fabric pumpkins. I love craft projects but this one was a little more difficult than I anticipated.

Lessons learned:

1. Don't go to the fabric store with my mother if you're hungry . . . it's gonna be a while, and there is just nothing you can do about it.

2. I'm very talented in many areas, but sewing is just not one of them.

3. I've accomplished many things in my life yet I am still unable to make a fabric pumpkin in less than 4 tries and without the use of foul language.

4. Making fabric pumpkins with my mom and sister is a great way to waste an evening :)

5. Sewing machines are complicated pieces of machinery. Operating them takes patience, skill, and a bachelor's degree in rocket science . . . none of which I possess.

They ended up turning out ok. Two of them ended up in the garbage because they didn't even remotely look like pumpkins, and my mom re-sewed the brown one for me. Yikes!

Hysterical quote of the evening:

Mom: "Didn't you girls take home ec. in high school?"

I'm not sure what gave her the impression we didn't . . .

A Hurricane . . . in Ohio???

Yes, that's right. We were hit with hurricane force winds yesterday that tore siding off people's houses (not ours, luckily), uprooted trees, and downed power lines all over the city. We lost power last night and I discovered I would have made a terrible pioneer woman. As John sat at the kitchen table huddled over a magazine, I couldn't stop complaining about the lack of modern conveniences. I spent the evening text messaging my sister on the cell phone - the only piece of modern equipment still working. We cracked each other up pretending to be experiencing a true hurricane. She complained her swing set was smashed to smithereens while I "worried" about storm surge from the lakes in the neighborhood. It is so great to have a sister who understands my unique sense of humor and how trivial our own worries can seem in the face of others' true emergencies.

Seriously, though, I think it would be incredible to be one of those reporters who keep us filled in on all the action LIVE from the hurricane zone. I would be great at that job! My short legs would be sturdy in the wind and I have stamina like nobody's business. I can stay up all night . . . no problem. Unlike the reporters I saw wearing ugly blue raincoats, I would wear a cute polka dot parka with a matching rain hat and boots. Can you picture it? I'd be a hit! Oh, I think I hear the Weather Channel calling now.........

Anyway, we got our power back this morning and had a great day. John went to work and Megan and I made some delicious White Bean Chili. When John got home from work, we ate our yum yums out on the patio and enjoyed the evening. We even found a caterpillar for Megan to examine. There is something about White Bean Chili and the company of the two coolest people in the world. Simply magic!

Try some magic for yourself. Make my mother-in-law Julia's recipe for White Bean Chili and I'll bet you have a perfect evening! It is so, so GOOD.


White Bean Chili (1/2 Recipe)

Servings: 4

2 cans Northern Beans (drained and rinsed)
2 cups cooked and chopped chicken breast
1 TBSP Olive Oil
1 4 oz. can green chillies
1 tsp. cumin, ground
¼ tsp. paprika
1 ½ cups Monterrey jack cheese, shredded
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
¾ tsp. oregano
3 cups chicken broth


Cook chicken breasts in chicken broth until done if they are not already cooked. Remove chicken and cut up into 1 inch pieces. Saute onions in oil until tender. Add garlic, chillies, cumin, oregano and paprika. Cook 2 minutes. Add beans and broth and bring to a boil. Add chicken. Reduce heat to medium and heat thoroughly for 10 minutes. Serve in bowls. Sprinkle cheese on top.


*For lower-fat version, I use olive oil cooking spray instead of olive oil and reduced fat cheese.

*You can double the recipe for more servings.
*You can prepare all the ingredients and put in the crockpot to keep it warm.