Gems

I usually do not post so much about all the funny things michael says, but lately, he has been full of them! Must be the phase.

Before we left the house, I asked him about talking to dad about the creature power suits.

"hey, so you told dad last night about creature power suits"

"yea, Santa is going to bring me some."

"daddy told me you wanted to be a warthog."

"well, I want to turn into a cheetah!"

"oh yea? Why?"

"so I can be faster than my dad."

Today, we had to drive out to Ardmore, pa - about one hour and 15 minutes away. On our journey, we discussed the following:

Passing by the elementary school that we have passed by - oh I don't know - 500 times by now:

Michael, shrieking: "mommy! College!"

Uhhhh - no, that would be the elementary and intermediate school we pass by at least 2-3 times a week.

"mommy! You are going 60 (mph)! You never go 60!"

"does daddy ever go 60?"

"well yeah, one day he did."

I am sure it is more than that.

And do not make fun of me that I do not go 60mph a lot. He just doesn't notice. That's my story and I am sticking to it.

I bet you are wondering why I drove all the way out to Ardmore, pa. Michael had an allergist appointment that confirmed he is still allergic to peanuts, pistachios, pecans, walnuts, and hazelnut (slightly). It did also tell us that he is possibly NOT allergic to almonds, cashews, and Brazilian nuts.

This is fortunate. Apart from Brazilian nuts, almonds and cashews are frequently eaten in this house!

Santa

For those of you who are in-the-know about wild kratts, here is a story for you:

Michael: dad, I want creature power suits.

Daddy: what's that?

Michael: they are suits from wild kratts that lets you turn into an animal.

Daddy: well, I don't think they sell those.

Michael: that's ok. Santa will bring them to me for Christmas.

Daddy: well, what animal do you want to be most?

Michael: a warthog.

This little exchange happened between Brian and Michael at bedtime. It is one reason why I am not heavily involved at bedtime. :)

Michael also mentioned about using the suit to turn into a shark or an octopus or a sperm whale. Good luck with that, boy.

Should I be scared that he sounds like Marcus from about a boy? I am going to be worried if he starts talking about dolphins .

P

Lenten Mac-n-cheese

Michael asked me for Mac-n-cheese earlier this week so I decided to make it for ash Wednesday (as there is no meat and only 1 meal is eaten today for fasting so you can save all your calories for this meal).

After getting some tips from Kim kropka, who made it last night, I got to it.

I warn you, it is not for the faint of heart:

Also, this is not an exact recipe. I apologize!

Lenten Mac-n-Cheese

Ingredients

4 tbspn butter

5 tbspn flour

Milk - you will add this in half cup increments until you get the right consistency

1.5 cups shredded cheese (Monterrey or Colby jack, whichever you have on hand)

8oz of velveeta, cubed

12 oz elbow noodles

Nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

Steps

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Noodles:

1. Cook noodles according to package directions for al dente.

2. Drain and coat noodles with about 1-2 tbspn of olive oil to prevent them from sticking to each other.

Make bechamel:

1. Melt the 4 tbspn of butter over med heat. Lower heat to med low and whisk in the 5 tbspn of flour. Continue to whisk for 1 minute, do not stop or it may burn.

2. Increase heat back to med and whisk in 1/2 cup of milk. Continue whisking until mixture starts to thicken. Add another 1/2 cup of milk. Whisk again until it thickens. Keep adding milk in 1/2 cup increments until your bechamel base is the right consistency.

For me, a good bechamel base is not very thick (like pancake batter) nor is it very runny like water. A good bechamel is about the consistency of tomato soup from a Campbell's can. It is slightly thick, but still more towards the runny side. You do not want a super thick bechamel base because it gets really thick after you add the cheese. In the end, it is your preferences which will reign.

3. When your bechamel is the right consistency, season with salt, pepper, and a dash of nutmeg. Remove from heat. Add in the cubed 8oz of velveeta and 1.5 cups of cheese. Stir until everything is well melted and melded all together.

4. Mix in elbow macaroni to this cheesy bechamel.

5. Butter a 9x9 dish. Add in the cheesy elbow macaroni. Pop in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the Mac-n-cheese is bubbly and slightly crispy on the edges (if you like that).

If you like a topping that adds a bit of crunch: melt 1.5 tbspn of butter. Combine with 2-3 tbspn of Panko bread crumbs and 2-3 tbspn of shredded cheese. Sprinkle this mixture over the Mac-n-cheese before placing in the oven.

See - told ya it wasn't for the faint of heart. You really need to starve all day to eat it at the end of the day.

And I know this isn't the fanciest recipe ever. I just thought I'd share. And it's not a stupid proof recipe either because I didn't provide exact measurements!

In case you want to use a fancier cheese, I would go towards gruyere or fontina.

Happy ash Wednesday!

P

For reals

I just had this conversation with Brian:

Phuong : You know, i do not like taking the iPad out with me because then I worry about whether or not I have it in my purse and not in my car and then I worry if my purse is still on my shoulder and not stolen....

Brian: are you ok?

Phuong: I am just fine. Why?

Brian : well you were saying that your purse was digging in your shoulder so I was just wondering.

Phuong : * looking a bit exasperated and laughing to myself because he really was trying his best.*

Brian : dang....

Oh well. At least he was concerned about me....

Dentist et al

Today, Michael went to the dentist and did a great job! He did not freak out for his teeth cleaning, (like he did last time) and he got all of X-rays done with no problem! Even I have trouble with those bite wing ones!

Luckily the dentist said everything looks fine. Considering Michael only has about 8-10 teeth that are not capped or fake, I should hope so. Poor guy. We definitely are more vigilant about his teeth than we ever were!

In the car, he said to me: "mommy! I am so proud of myself!"

Today, he had this conversation with me:

Michael: Mommy, I really like baby birds. Do you like baby birds?

Me: yes Michael. I do.

Michael: I really like baby birds. They are so cute.

Me: they are!

Michael: I do not like mommy and daddy birds because they peck people and baby birds don't do that.

Me: huh....

Michael: they peck people because they think their hands are food, baby birds don't peck people.

The end. Good talk.

While we were having lunch, Michael says to me, "mommy, 6 plus 3 plus 1 equals 10."

Ok then! Michael has never been terribly gifted verbally, but math is something he gets. Wonder if he got that from us... :) I did not know he had started to be able to add multiple numbers sequentially yet!

That is it for today.

Mommy and Michael Date Night!

Michael's school that he will be going to next year had a Mother/Son dance last night - Sock Hop style:

We had SO much fun shopping for our costumes, and Michael's been excited for our "date" and "dance" all week!

We started the night out at Miss Oxford Diner, which is a bonafide diner with a counter/stools and everything in an old railway car. Michael ordered a bowl of fruit loops for dinner, and I had grilled shrimp kabobs and rice, which Michael promptly ate half.

Then, we ordered a STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE!!! In an old fashioned cup and everything - with TWO straws. Michael had a sip and said, "DELICIOUS!" His first milkshake on Mommy/Michael date night! We sat at the counter and had a nice meal.

Off to the dance to meet our "double date" : Renee and Ryan! I love my new friend Renee who invited us to the dance. She is so helpful and just fun to be around. Ryan and Michael will be in the same Kindergarten class next year so I am looking forward to getting to know her more!

We had pictures taken just like at a dance (my neighbor is also a photographer and does it for the school for free) and then we got our groove on - 1950s style!

The place was gorgeously decorated and Michael immediately had me dancing with him on the dance floor! There's gonna be a lucky lady who gets Michael as a husband because he LOVES to dance!

Until...other people show up on the dance floor.

Then, he is happy to be a putz and sit around and wait for the dance floor to clear. I guess he needs the room to bust his move.

The dance was supposed to last until 9pm, but by 8pm, Michael said to me, "Mom, I'm ready to go."

Alright then!

So we left and went home to play Monopoly with Dad. :)

Abbey was at the dance and you should have seen the smile on Michael's face. I almost thought my date was going to ditch me.

Oh - more pictures later. My friend Renee brought her tiny point and shoot camera - I should have brought my camera! SIGH. So I'll post more pictures of the inside of the place and of all of us hanging out later!

Until then, one last porch picture that I tried to edit Vintage, but I am just not a vintage girl:

Michael and Brian are off to a fly fishing convention today so I have the morning to work and what do I do? UPDATE MY BLOG! In 2012, my priority is going to be MY memory recording!

P

Living Room Inspiration

So I have had big plans for my living room for a while.

Plans I have not acted on because I've not had a catalyst for change. I mean, who doesn't like a very a traditional living room?

Are you saying you don't like split pea soup green for my wall color?

While Brian really likes the heavy and the dark, I am not as much of a fan.

Here's my original plan for my living room:

Which is safe and neutral and palettes that I love and can live with.

But a big part of me wants to go HERE:
It's a bit crazy, but I like it. I am thinking that crazy mirror might be fun over my mantel - but I'm leaning more towards NOT:
Don't make fun of my face fat. Apparently, I turned 33 and have permanent face fat - no matter what I do or at what angle. This is a closeup of the mirror so you can see the bulbous colors up close.

But then I saw these knobs at Anthropologie and almost considered keeping my split pea soup walls:

I love that turqouise combination with the split pea green - wood tones, cream, navy, and dark green. Let's face it, I love turqouise just about anywhere. And it would go with my curtains that I am preparing to make for my piano room!

Choices, choices. I think I will at the very least, brighten it a bit with a more neutral and lighter shade of split pea green.

Then I saw this fun clock wall at Pottery Barn that I'd like to put somewhere in my house. I just love all the B&W prints next to the silver and the different mats:
I had to warn the sales associate that I was taking a picture of the display and not a weirdo trying to take a picture of him specifically.

So - I am at a distinct fork in the road. To the right - is the safe neutral blues/greys/purple that I love. AND then there's the left - the crazy-

But no matter which road I take, I'm pretty sure that rug is not going to make it with me.

P

Pinterest Strikes Again

Michael is pretty used to me on Pinterest. I hear often from him:

"Oh mom! I like that - PIN that!"

He knows about "his" board that is called, "Kid Ideas." He peruses it and tells me what he likes.

Yesterday, he said, "Mom - I want to do that laser thing with the yarn."

OK THEN. Pictures en suite...

Oooo - see how neat my room is back there! It IS getting almost there...almost there...where I can take pictures of it after it is staged and finally what I like.

I digress - back to Michael:


Betcha love my night light back there!

Now, onto my little teaser. About 6 months ago, I embarked on "Project Teal:"

Yes - I painted a teal band up there in my tray ceiling. I don't care if you like it. Even though it is a bit radical, I like it. And it goes with my color palette inspiration that is now on the wall. Wait, I bet you don't like it? Do you like it? Just curious.

I am very close to finishing up my room. I'm about $200 from being done. Here's what I have left to purchase:

• 2 lamps - probably going to be pier 1. Which one do you like?

OR

• Creme colored quilt - finding these at Marshalls for $49.
• BIG GIANT map of France for my one blank wall - but I have that planned for the end of the year.

I still need to:

• Sew my striped pillows
• Sew my modern print yellow/white pillows.

It's not in the budget for me to be finished this month, but maybe next month!

And when it mostly all comes together, you will be the first to see - my first completed room. I bet you are waiting with intense anticipation. INTENSE.

Love,

P