My first Quadruplet newborn session – The Robirdsons

Ok, so my quads aren’t exactly human newborns but still amazing and adorable (eventually) in their bird way.

 Earlier this spring, about a week before Easter, I had planned on replanting a new batch of flowers in the hanging pot outside my back door. I admittedly let the darned thing hang outside all winter long where the dainty annuals from last year became nothing more than withered sticks.

My plans for fresh new annual colors soon changed as I noticed one evening while cooking dinner that the flower pot had new residents moving in, Momma and Pappa robin were making a new nest in MY flower pot.   As I watched their hard work I through the upcoming days I eventually dubbed this sweet little family, the Robirdsons.

Every day for close to a week they flew back and forth, several times a day, carrying sticks and grass and the makings of a new home for their little ones that were soon to arrive. They placed their building materials carefully and packed them down.

Easter morning, I climbed up on the kitchen chair and peeking into their nest from my side of the glass saw this:

 And then I re-focused my lens a little past my original target and saw an Easter character standing close by.

 Could the Easter bunny have dropped these here? Surely not.

 So as this was my first close up experience with this species, I wondered how long it would be until we had little baby Robirdsons in our nest.  Curious I was,  so I did what any modern human would do and I Googled it to find out that our babies were due 12 – 14 days after the last egg was laid.

Momma was a good momma bird and barely left her nest, especially during that second week and I, strangely enough, found myself growing excited and impatient in anticipation of their arrival.

Sure enough, 2 weeks later, on Mothers Day none the less, our hatchlings arrived, 4 in total and lets just say they were definately the kind of face only a mother could love.

 

Momma Robirdson sat on her nest to protect her new flock but would occasionally fly off to find food and bring it back to her babies. 

 

 Momma also didn’t really like the fact that I was standing on a kitchen chair on the other side of the glass so I would try to get my pictures quick, then leave them alone. Only over the next few days, my quick little picture jaunts have become more and more frequent because I am just so fascinated. I tried pulling my fake Ficus tree out of the corner to cover me and to try to make the Mrs. more comfortable but this is one smart momma who can still see me taking quick peeks into their little family world.

The last 3 pictures above were taken on May 11th and as I write this only a few days from then, I am amazed at how fast my babies Mrs Robinsons babies have changed, you will be too. 

More details to come soon!

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An Angel Baby

I have been busy with newborns and babies and loving it.

No, not mine, other peoples, let me show you one of the results from my last session, my new favorite picture.

Days That Weren’t …. Winter

Although I do love living in a place with a change in seasons, this winter has been longer and tougher than most in my memories past.

A few weeks ago I showed you some picts from last spring, now I will show you a few that I took of the Missouri countryside before it turned blah and wintery.

A beautiful day in Autumn.

I should have been at work that day, but took a vacation day.

I wish I could get paid to drive around this beautiful country of ours and take in all of the beauty.

Now THAT would be awesome.

 

But wait, 

I guess since it was a vacation day, and I got paid for it, I did (technically) get paid to drive around and take pictures.

Sweet!

Always have to look at the bright side!

Cheese Stuffed Chicken

4 Skinless chicken breast filets

4 oz goat cheese

Sundried tomatoes, diced

1 red pepper cut into strips

garlic salt

black pepper

8 slices of bacon

toothpicks

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the chicken breast (start at the thickest part of the side) and fold open as pictured below:

I must interrupt this recipe to point out the new pan in the above picture.

 It was a gift from my Aunt Cheryl.

She saw my recipe for Italian Sausage Stromboli and the pathetic cookie sheet I was using (that I had hoped no one would notice) and she felt compelled to buy me a new baking sheet.

 Thank you Auntie Cheryl! I can now hold my head up high!

Now back to our regularly scheduled recipe.

After you have split the chicken breasts, spread with goat cheese,

Take your red pepper slices:

Place a few slices on top of the cheese,

sprinkle a little of your diced sundried tomatos, sprinkle black pepper and a little garlic salt

 and fold the chicken over.

Now, take 2 pieces of bacon per filet and wrap around chicken using toothpicks to help keep the chicken secure.

Put in oven and cook for aprox 30-35 minutes, make sure chicken has no pink color left to it.

You should believe me when I say YUM!

Let me know what you think!

Grown Up Snow Day

 

Yesterday  I walked out my door to this:

 

 

I’m not usually too worried about driving in the snow, but yesterday we received about a foot of the fluffy cold stuff and so I decided to play it safe and take a PTO (personal time off) day from work.

Its the other people driving that scare me.

So, I realized that yesterday was an unofficial Grown Up Snow day and I felt like a kid again (except for when I needed my readers glasses to read tiny print).

G1 got out to clean off the cars, our driveway and 5 other neighbors driveways, he’s such a good neighbor.

I walked around taking a few pictures along the way.

 

 

This is our back patio where on warm days a few Margaritas are sometimes enjoyed.

Oh how I long for those days now.

 Then I walk around the corner to see that one of my neices or my silly nephew left a little hot handed artwork on my storm door from the suprise birthday party G1 threw for me a few weekends ago.

It pretty much sums up my mood for this grown up snow day.

Half Way to Spring

 

Snow.

There’s been a lot of it this year. Even the U.S. South which closes schools and roads when there is only an inch or 2 is just recently melting from several inches which totally shut them down (Cough-Wimps-Cough) for darn near a week. Here in Mo, they’re calling for more snow this week.

 Sigh.

 After the snow there is always the soggy, muddy mess that is left behind until the warmer/drier days reappear to dry up the mush. Days are still gray and dull here in mid Missouri and I am looking forward to the signs of life, the sprigs of green to appear on the ground and in the trees, when spring is on our doorsteps.

Here are some pictures I took last spring to remind us all what is just around the calendar corner. Spring waits to greet us in the matter of more than a few weeks.

 Hang in there!

Chicken Fajitas

 

I make these chicken fajitas at least 2 times a month. This is one of our favorite dinners.

The ingredients below don’t necessarily tell you how much you should have because it all depends on your preference, you decide. I’ve listed the ingredients I personally like.

Get creative, add some of your other favorite ingredients. Peppers, onions, etc.

Flour tortillas (soft taco size)

1 Tbsp Olive oil

Butter

1 to 1.25 (approximate) lbs chicken

1 packet Lawry’s fajita seasoning

Shredded sharp cheddar

Pace salsa

Sour Cream

avocado

Put 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in skillet & heat. Add chicken and cook well.

When chicken is thoroughly cooked, chop or shred. I prefer to cut it with my kitchen scissors into little chunks.

Add packet of seasoning and mix with water as directed on packet. Mix well.

In a separate skillet, melt a pad of butter and spread around. Keep your burner on medium heat.

Put your tortilla in your skillet and cook until its slightly golden or starts to ever slightly stiffen and flip over.

Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top while still in skillet. While the other side of the tortilla is cooking, this will melt the cheese nicely.

Once the cheese starts to melt, place tortilla on your plate to start topping with your other ingredients.

Then place some of your chicken in a row down the middle of your tortilla, making sure you have enough room on the bottom and sides to fold over.

I personally love Pace salsa, a little light sour cream and some slices of avocado to make the perfect fajita for me.

Once you have your toppings on, first fold up the bottom, to keep ingredients from falling out when eating.

Then fold over each side and enjoy! YUM I tell you, these are delish!

Now you could just slap your ingredients in an uncooked tortilla, but I prefer them warm and slightly crisp. It just gives it that extra tastey UMPH.

Goodbye 2010 and Bye to My 30’s

  When I was little, I used to think that people got the day off because it was MY birthday. It just so happens that my birthday falls on New Years Day, that may have been the real reason,

 just possibly.

So every year I guess it’s a little different for us New Years birthday people, we not only look favorably on the new year as a fresh start, but its also mixed with checking yet another year off the old age meter.

This year is a big one for me, I turn 40.

Goodbye to 2010 and goodbye to my 30’s. (sigh)

I’ve heard so much about 40 and how its all downhill from here.  I’ve even recently bought my first readers glasses because I’ve noticed that for some reason every label, set of directions and even some menu’s have decided to ‘Go Green’ and conserve ink by printing much smaller type. Sometimes avoiding the truth can be uplifting, so let me be in my little happy denial bubble!

Most people make resolutions on New Years, and I’m among the masses that have made a few myself over the years. Last year I actually accomplished one resolution, I quit smoking and I can proudly say I’ve been smoke free now for about 5 months. Yay me! It feels good to tackle a goal and then reach it.

The past few weeks have reinforced one important thing that I really took to heart about 10 years ago,

life is precious & it’s short.

It’s shorter for some than for others and we really don’t know what our future holds or if we hold much of a future on this earth.

I’m not depressed or crying over this,

I want to take life and grab it by the ears and just…

LIVE.

That one word can mean many different things to many different people. In my case, I don’t need to lead an exciting, action packed, adventurous life but I do want to do my best to lead a happy, peaceful life. I want to stop worrying about things that really don’t matter. I want to be kinder.

Instead of making new resolutions, I hope to instead just keep in mind everyday that I don’t want to waste my life crying about my eyesight waning or a line on the face appearing or the fact that I’ve reached a big milestone birthday. I want to thank God for my life and the people he’s blessed me with. I will thank him for everyday, even the ones that suck.

I don’t want to worry what others may think of how I look, what I say, etc.  Now I’m not saying that I go to Walmart in a Moo moo with my arse hanging out, I do want to present myself in a positive light. At the same time I refuse to obsess over the little things that don’t matter in the big scheme. It’s all about finding balance, the right balance for your life.

Life is a gift to every single one of us.

If you find yourself crying or depressed, fight it.

 I’m not saying that sadness isn’t a part of life, and creeps up on everyone at times, but let it out,

then fight against it.

Live

Laugh

Love

There’s much wisdom in those 3 words.

May your new year be filled with Peace.

May you laugh more, cry less.

May you count your blessings, and learn from failures.

May you see the beauty that is everywhere and thank God you can see it.

May you take the time to see it.

Be good to others and forgive old hurts.

Be good to yourself, and don’t just exist…

 LIVE.

Happy New year to all of you!

 

Really? That’s What They’re Singing?

I’m sure most of us have done it before,

 we’re singing merrily along thinking we know darn good & well what the words to the song we are singing are.

Until,

 someone starts laughing at you.

Not because we can’t carry a tune (which could very well be the case with me)

but because we’ve managed to mutilate the lyrics.

I can think of 2 songs off the top of my head that I’ve done that with.

Don Henley – Boys of Summer

These are the real lyrics:

Nobody on the road,
nobody on the beach.
I feel it in the air,
the summers out of reach

Empty lake, empty streets,
the sun goes down alone.
I’m driving by your house
though I know that you not home…

And I can see you
you brown skin shining in the sun
you got your hair combed back
sunglasses on baby.

And where they say “Your brown skin shining in the sun”, I remember thinking it was “Your breasts keep shining in the sun” (Like bikinis people!) That’s what I thought until one day my friend and I were riding along in the car, singing at the top of our lungs, and she stopped, mid lyric, and started laughing hysterically at me.

Good times!

Then there is a song most of us know, Winter Wonderland.

This time of the year always brings back this memory.

One of the verses’ goes like this:

Later on, we’ll conspire,
As we dream by the fire
To face unafraid,
The plans that we’ve made,

Walking in a winter wonderland.

(I hear you singing!)

As a child, I remember our family riding home in the car singing along with the radio to this very song when my mom, stopped & started to laugh hysterically and my older brother muttered “What a dork” when they heard me singing;

“Later on we’ll perspire, as we dream by the fire”.

I don’t know about you, but I can see where MY lyrics make perfect sense.

In fact, I still sing MY lyrics sometimes.

Who among us hasn’t gotten a little too warmed up by the fire and had a little perspiration?

So now that I’ve shared some of my embarrassing lyric mishaps,

What songs & lyrics have you messed up in the past?

It’s All About You Friday 3

Before I get to the business of “It’s all about you” Friday, I want to say that 2 weekends ago I was in the last art/craft show for this year. I met some wonderful people who I had many great conversations with.

 Thank you to any of you who may be reading.

One other thing totally unrelated,

 If you read my story “Mom’s Got Cooties” you’ll be interested to know that I sprained my ankle Black Friday shopping, more on that later.

(No worries, ankle is healing quickly and it was still an awesome day!)

Ok, back to business.

It’s Friday again.

And on “It’s All About You Friday’s” I like to hear what you are thinking when you see a picture I post.

 Does it stir a memory?

The premise behind this little Friday event is that one of the things that attract us to artwork, whether it be photography or something different, is the emotion or memory it stirs.

I want to hear about your emotion, your memory because I love to hear the stories that make us similar and yet so very different.

 I’ve been pleasantly surprised to hear the broad  range of memories this exercise evokes.

It brings me joy, BUT, this is about you!

If you are new to “It’s All About You Friday” and would like to see the others I’ve posted, see them here First Friday and Friday Again.

 The picture will always be a picture I’ve taken.

I get great comments.

Seriously, you guys are the awesomest.  

According to dictionary.com, awesomest is not a word. 

It is now!  

So here we go. Look at this picture, sit, ponder…Does this stir a memory or emotion in you? 

If you’d be so kind as to share, please, add it to the comment section of this post.